McMahon aide fired after ‘Jewish money’ comment, list

Here’s the JTA brief:

NEW YORK (JTA) — A New York congressman fired his campaign spokesperson after she told a reporter that the lawmaker’s opponent had "received a lot of Jewish money."

U.S. Rep. Mike McMahon (D-NY) fired Jennifer Nelson, the communications director for his reelection effort, after she distributed a list titled “Grimm Jewish Money Q2.” McMahon’s opponent in the Staten Island race is Republican Michael Grimm.

"Where is Grimm’s money coming from," Nelson was quoted in an interview with The New York Observer. "There is a lot of Jewish money, a lot of money from people in Florida and Manhattan, retirees."

Nelson said that the point of compiling list was not to highlight the ethnicity of donors, but the degree to which Grimm was depending on out-of-district contributions. According to Nelson, the list was compiled by the campaign’s finance director, Debra Solomon, the Observer reported.

In dismissing Nelson, Politico reported, McMahon said “that he “comments were entirely inappropriate and there is no place for this kind of behavior.”

“I was outraged by these unfortunate remarks which were unauthorized and are in no way indicative of my beliefs or of my campaign,” McMahon said.

Grimm criticized McMahon.

"This is a United States congressman that’s segregating people out by their religion. I’m outraged. Even an apology isn’t going to make it right," Grimm told Politico. "This goes to his thought process and his feelings."