Texas Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo has urged that U.S. politicians who received funding from pro-Israel groups be charged with treason, following a report by the rights organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) highlighting the close connections between the Israel lobby group AIPAC, the U.S. government, and Israeli institutions.

Galindo, who is running in Texas’s 35th Congressional District, said she would introduce legislation to have "all American candidates and elected officials who have ever taken Israeli money tried for treason", News.Az reports, citing The New Arab.

She also called for the Karnes Detention Centre in Texas to be turned "into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking".

The comments triggered fierce backlash from Democratic Party figures, who accused her of alleged "antisemitism", while Galindo denied targeting Jewish people and insisted her remarks were aimed at wealthy pro-Israel political actors and those profiting from war and detention systems.

In comments to CNN, Galindo said her proposal "was NEVER for Jewish Zionists – it's for BILLIONAIRE Zionists, regardless of religion".

"If they've done business for genocidal prison state materials or there's evidence of pedophilia from Epstein files, they should be brought to trial," she added.

The remarks came as the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a US-based NGO, published research on Wednesday documenting a "revolving-door relationship" between AIPAC, the US government and Israeli state institutions.

Drawing on LinkedIn data from more than 3,000 current and former AIPAC staffers, the report found that 66 former AIPAC employees currently work in the US federal government, including 40 in Congress and several linked to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The report also identified seven former AIPAC staffers now working for Israeli government institutions, while uncovering 153 LinkedIn connections between current AIPAC employees and Israeli government personnel, including links to the Israeli military.

"AIPAC shapes US policy in the Middle East, but operates entirely in the shadows," DAWN executive director Omar Shakir said.

The findings have intensified wider debate in the United States over the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington, particularly amid growing anger over US military and diplomatic support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

While Democratic Party figures accused Galindo of alleged antisemitism over the remarks, supporters and anti-Zionist activists argue such accusations are frequently used to shut down criticism of Israel, Zionism and pro-Israel lobbying groups.

The fallout has also been compounded by allegations that Republican-linked donors are covertly supporting Galindo's campaign in an attempt to elevate a weaker Democratic candidate ahead of the November midterms.

According to tracking firm AdImpact, the newly formed Lead Left PAC reportedly spent more than $900,000 supporting Galindo’s campaign.

Punchbowl News previously reported that metadata linked the group’s website to WinRed, the Republican Party’s main fundraising platform.

Galindo, a sex therapist who topped the Democratic primary in March, is set to face Bexar County sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia in a runoff election on 26 May.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli