Democratic moneyman Monte Friedkin says he’ll only support Hillary if she promises support for Israel

“A phone call ain’t going to be good enough,” Friedkin said. “She has to look me straight in the face.”

PalmBeachPost – As Hillary Clinton makes her first 2016 presidential fundraising swing through Florida this week, don’t look for former Palm Beach County Democratic Party Chairman and longtime Democratic moneyman Monte Friedkin at any of her events.

Friedkin gave $5,000 to the Ready For Hillary PAC in 2013, but he says he’s not ready to help Clinton’s presidential campaign unless he gets personal reassurance from Clinton on her support for Israel.

“My concern is that she was secretary of state under Obama and I don’t think under the Obama Administration they’ve been so wonderful to Israel…Where do we have a better democratic friend in the Middle East than Israel, and we treat Israel like a third-class citizen,” said Friedkin, a Democratic National Committee finance chairman in the early 1990s and former vice president of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. He headed the Palm Beach County Democratic Party from 1998 to 2002.

Friedkin lives in Broward County now and has been less visible in politics — though he contributed more than $200,000 to Democrats in the 2014 election cycle.

Friedkin, who said he has personally known Hillary and Bill Clinton for 25 years, said he’s not ready to support her for president until they talk in person about Israel.

“A phone call ain’t going to be good enough,” Friedkin said. “She has to look me straight in the face.”

Republicans — particularly in South Florida — have tried to chip away at Jewish voters’ overwhelming support for Democrats by questioning the pro-Israel credentials of Obama and other leading Dems.

But Friedkin, while expressing reservations about Clinton’s stance on Israel, said there’s no way he’ll back a Republican in 2016.

“I don’t have to play” in the 2016 presidential race, Friedkin said.  “I’m happy to stay the hell out of it.”

Posted by Philip Giraldi on May 31 2015 . Filed under Candidates, Commentary & Analysis, Featured articles, Israel Lobby, Politicians . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 . Both comments and pings are currently closed.