Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan issued a lengthy explanation Thursday after she skipped key Israel votes to make an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show.
Slotkin missed several votes on Wednesday, including two resolutions that would have blocked additional military aid to Israel. Rather than joining her colleagues for the vote, Slotkin spent Wednesday afternoon in New York to tape her appearance for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which sparked outrage among American voters.
In an attempt to address the disappointment and disapproval felt by her constituents, Slotkin clarified her position on the vote and explained away her absence.
‘I owe it to my state to make clear where I stand.’
“Last night I unfortunately missed a vote series on two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval regarding the sale of weapons to Israel,” Slotkin said in a statement on X. “I have struggled with this Joint Resolution of Disapproval more than any previous votes in the nearly two years since Hamas initiated the attacks on October 7. I represent a state with a large Arab and Muslim population and a large Jewish population. And over these last two years, few issues have been as raw as this one.”
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“I have therefore worked very hard to call balls and strikes based on my experience and the facts on the ground, even as most people fall firmly into one side or another, and are often reluctant to consider new information. I owe it to my state to make clear where I stand: Had I made it back for the vote yesterday, I would have voted yes to block offensive weapons to Israel based on my concerns over lack of food and medicine getting to civilians in Gaza.”
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Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Slotkin reaffirmed her support for the state of Israel, but she also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for behaving as if “there are no limits to what they can do while receiving U.S. support.”
“I believe a message has to be sent,” Slotkin said. “Should similar votes on offensive weapons come up in the future, I will take them on a case-by-case basis, with the hope of important humanitarian course corrections. I continue to support the U.S.-Israel security relationship and sale of defensive weapons such as the Iron Dome.”
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