(Getty) Lee Zeldin
Lee Zeldin, a Republican member of Congress, made waves this week when he got into a Twitter spat with Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Zeldin represents New York’s first congressional district. After being named Ranking Member of House Foreign Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, Zeldin put out a tweet that some people are calling racist and xenophobic. He wrote, “Was just selected as Ranking Member of the @HouseForeign Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations! Just learned Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar was also put on this committee w oversight of US foreign policy. Crazy to watch what House Dems are empowering/elevating.”
Zeldin’s tweet was widely seen as an attack on Ilhan Omar, who is the first Somali American ever to serve in Congress. Zeldin went on to clarify that in fact, he was attacking Omar’s political views rather than her religious background. Here’s what you need to know about Lee Zeldin:
1. Zeldin Said Omar Was an Anti-Semite & Hinted that She Is a Supporter of ISIS
After Zeldin was named to the House Foreign subcommittee on oversight and investigations, he tweeted that he thought it was “crazy” to see that Ilhan Omar had also been named to the committee. Many social media users called him a racist; somebody even started a parody account to jab at the New York congressman. Ilhan Omar also took a swing at Zeldin, writing, “Don’t mind him, he is just waking up to the reality of having Muslim women as colleagues who know how to stand up to bullies! It’s gonna be fun watching him lose his marbles.”
That’s when Zeldin fired back and said that he doesn’t have a problem with Omar’s religion or gender — the problem, according to him, has to do with her political views. Zeldin, who is Jewish, accused Omar of being “anti-Semitic” and “anti-Israel;” he also hinted that she has sympathis for ISIS and Palestinian terrorists. He wrote, “Those poor innocent ISIS fighters & Palestinian terrorists right? Give me a break! That’s a problem no matter your religion or gender Ilhan. Your anti-Semitic & anti-Israel hate is strong & wrong & those terrorists have US blood on their hands as well.”
2. Zeldin Grew Up in Shirley, New York, a Small Village on Long Island’s South Shore
Zeldin represents New York’s First Congressional District, which includes parts of Long Island’s Suffolk County. Zeldin himself was born and raised in Long Island. He grew up in Shirley, a small community on Long Island’s South Shore. Zeldin, born in 1980, attended William Floyd High School and went on to college in upstate New York at SUNY Albany. He earned a law degree from Albany Law School.
In 2008, Zeldin opened a private law practice, which he operated until he was elected to the New York State Senate in 2010.
3. Zeldin Is an Army Veteran Who Served in Iraq
Zeldin joined the Army ROTC program while he was an undergraduate student at SUNY Albany. In 2003, he was commissioned to the Military Intelligence Corps, later switching to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
After completing the Army ROTC program, Zeldin served on active duty as a Military Intelligence Officer, Prosecutor and Military Magistrate. In 2006, he was assigned to the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and was deployed to Tikrit, Iraq,in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He continues to serve in the Army Reserves and holds the rank of Major.
4. Zeldin’s Challenger Accused Him of ‘Voter Suppression’ During the Last Election
In 2018, a campaign mailer sent out by Zeldin’s re-election campaign listed the wrong deadline for voters to return absentee ballots: the mailer told voters that they needed to postmark their ballots by November 6, but the actual deadline was November 5. A spokesman for Zeldin’s Democratic challenger, Perry Gershon, told Newsweek that the mailers targeted likely Democratic voters, such as college students. “It’s a baldfaced attempt at voter suppression in Democratic areas of Suffolk County,” said Tim Minton Gershon’s communications director.
A spokesman for Zeldin’s campaign said that it was a printing mistake and issued a correction. “We absolutely want everyone to be completely aware that the date to postmark absentee ballots is November 5,” Zeldin campaign spokesman Chris Boyle said in a statement.
5. Zeldin Is Married & Has Twin Daughters
Happy Birthday to my amazing wife. Our little girls and I love you!
Zeldin and his wife, Diana, have twin daughters who are now twelve years old. Zeldin is an observant Jew. Diana, his wife, is a Mormon. Zeldin told New York Jewish Week that his family joined B’nai Israel Reform Temple and that his daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, would attend Hebrew school there.
Zeldin told Jewish Week that his religious upbringing was somewhere between Reform and Conservative Jewish. He said his upbringing had helped give him a strong sense of right and wrong: “There are many important values that help build character when faced with a decision. The best thing you can do when you have a strong sense of right and wrong is to do what your gut tells you is right.”