Newly elected Dem Rep. Adam Hamawy refuses to call Iran an adversary, blames the US and Israel for war

WASHINGTON — New Jersey Rep.-elect Adam Hamawy repeatedly refused to describe Iran as an “adversary,” faulting the Trump administration for pushing the Islamic Republic into war.Hamawy (D-NJ), a former combat surgeon who faced scrutiny over his past interactions with radical Islamic figures decades ago, called for the conflict in Iran to end.“We push[ed] them into a fight.

And so I think we both have to step back and say, ‘Is this helping either one of us?'” Hamawy replied to CNN when asked if Tehran is an adversary.Pressed again, he replied, “We’re making adversaries when we should be making friends.”CNN anchor Pamela Brown brought up how Iranians have been chanting “Death to America” and killing Americans for decades.

But Hamawy was unmoved by those facts.“We’ve been saying death to Iran for decades as well,” he shot back.

“And so what we need to do is use diplomacy.”“We’ve killed a lot of them as well.”Hamawy easily won his race last week to succeed retiring Rep.Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), becoming the first Muslim from New Jersey elected to Congress.

The Garden State Democrat also accused Israel of pushing the US into war with Iran when asked whether the Jewish state is an American ally.His responses to those questions were eerily reminiscent of Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s (D-Mich.) refusal to say whether Israel or Iran was more of a threat to the US during a debate last month against Republican Mike Rogers.During his campaign, Hamawy raised eyebrows over his past affiliations with people and organizations tied to radicalism.

In 1994, the trained plastic surgeon had interned for the Benevolence International Foundation in Bosnia, a since-defunct entity the 9/11 Commission Report described as an “impressive array of offices [that] covertly provided financial and other support for terrorist activities.”Authorities later found letters from al-Qaeda leaders, weapons, a photo of bin Laden, documents about al-Qaeda op...