Democrat Sean Casten Opposed Jerusalem Embassy, Referred to U.S. as ‘Great Satan’

Democrat Sean Casten opposed the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem — and claimed that moving it would somehow help “Russia, Iran, and North Korea.”

He made that statement in response to questions from the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this year (original emphasis):

QUESTION: Do you support the Trump administration’s decision to move the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? How will this help or hinder efforts to secure a lasting peace between Israel and its Middle East neighbors?

ANSWER: No, I do not.   Regardless of the merits of this decision from an Israeli perspective, the decision needlessly provokes our allies throughout the world and has the practical effect of destabilizing the global order that has prevailed since WWII. UN votes of opposition to this move and the hostility it has created among our Arab allies means that the coalition which we have depended on to steer through international crises – from the global treaty on chlorofluorocarbons to the first war in Iraq – will be weaker the next time they are needed. This is almost certainly in the national interest of Russia, Iran and North Korea who would like to see a weakening of these organizations but is not in the interests of the United States.

Contrary to Casten’s dire predictions, the Jerusalem embassy was opened without much protest in the Arab world — except from the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which organized riots at the Gaza border.

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), whom Carsten is challenging in the November midterm election, is one of the most pro-Israel members of Congress. He chairs the House Republican Israel Caucus, and called the embassy move “the type of clear leadership that is so vital for the region.”

Casten also — unlike Roskam — supported the now-defunct Iran deal. Carsten even referred to America as “Great Satan” in a tweet against then-candidate Donald Trump’s Iran policy:

Casten and Roskam are in a tight race for Illinois’ 6th congressional district, in the western Chicago suburbs.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.