'J.D. Vance wasn't there either': Fox News pundit defends Harris after Netanyahu speech
Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov rebuffed Republican attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris after she declined to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.
Following the prime minister's address on Wednesday, Fox News host Howard Kurtz criticized Harris for her absence.
"And the reason that Kamala Harris is not there, or Nancy Pelosi, or many other Democrats, is that they are very much part of the left wing of the Democratic Party, which feels that Israel hasn't done enough to cease fire and getting the hostages home," Kurtz opined.
Tarlov gave a more balanced view of the politics at play.
"In terms of the politics of all of this, I think it is important to note that Kamala Harris wasn't there, but J.D. Vance wasn't there either," she said. "This is not just about an isolationist worldview on the Democratic side or an issue with Israeli politics."
"J.D. Vance holds the view that he shouldn't be there to see the prime minister of Israel, something that I'm sure Donald Trump wishes that he would come around a little bit on since he is making a play for Jewish voters, and I think Netanyahu is going to go and see Donald Trump on Friday if the reporting is accurate," she added.
ALSO READ: Milwaukee girded for massive convention protests. But they got something else.
She emphasized to Kurtz that reluctance to attend the speech was not "all about Democrats."
"This is something that is going on on both sides, and there were a lot of Republicans who didn't want to support the Israeli foreign aid package, and Mike Johnson had to work overtime to make sure that he could get that over the last hurdle," Tarlov noted.