When two of Rep. Susan Wild’s constituents, a mother-daughter pair, wrote the Pennsylvania Democrat urging her to support Israel in its figh
by Chuck Ross
When two of Rep. Susan Wild’s constituents, a mother-daughter pair, wrote the Pennsylvania Democrat urging her to support Israel in its fight against Hamas, they received not one but two letters in response. One declared support for Israel and its "right to defend itself." The other called for international pressure on the Jewish state and an "immediate ceasefire."
The dueling letters, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, were both sent on May 21 and signed by Rep. Wild herself. They appear to be stock letters drafted by Wild's office. While pushing out such letters to constituents is standard for a member of Congress, Wild's letters provide drastically different assessments of the war that are now public after Wild inadvertently sent one version to the mother and the other to the daughter.
In the pro-Israel missive, the congresswoman said she was "outraged, devastated, and heartbroken" over the "vicious" Hamas attack. She expressed support for "the Israeli people and all fellow Jews" and reiterated Israel’s "right to defend itself." She also pledged to "do everything I can as your representative to ensure Israel has the ability and capacity to restore and maintain its security and safety of all its citizens."
In a contradictory letter sent to the daughter, the congresswoman also said she was "outraged, devastated, and heartbroken." But this time, she was devastated about the "unspeakable tragedy continuing to unfold in Gaza," adding that the Israeli military "has inflicted devastation on staggering numbers of innocent Palestinian children, families, and civilians in Gaza." She called for an "immediate ceasefire" and pledged to "always listen and fully consider" the perspective of Israel's enemies.
The two letters are an embarrassing mixup for Wild, who is running for reelection in one of the country's tightest House races. It comes as she works to moderate her policy positions on immigration, energy, crime, and other hot-button issues in the wake of a redistricting cycle that added Trump-loving Carbon County to her swing district. (Earlier this year, Wild was caught on a Zoom call deriding the county's residents as bigots who "drank the Trump Kool-Aid." In 2022, she was also caught on tape saying she needed to "school" Carbon County residents for their support of Trump.)
Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, which Wild represents, has a substantial Arab population in addition to an engaged Jewish community. For the constituents who wrote to Wild, the conflicting letters raise questions about the congresswoman’s authenticity.
"She tells one group one thing and tells another group another thing," said one of Wild’s constituents, who spoke to the Free Beacon on condition of anonymity over concerns about retribution from anti-Israel activists.
"I’ve never believed when she spoke about Israel that she was being authentic," this person said. "She has definitely favored the pro-Palestinian voters."
