The Shift: DOJ investigating NYC coffee shop that banned Rep. Dan Goldman over Israel

Donald Trump is not a fan of outgoing Rep. Dan Goldman, who was ousted by former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander in New York’s 10th district primary this past Tuesday.

The President’s beef stems from the fact that Goldman served as the majority counsel in House Democrats’ first impeachment inquiry against him in 2019.

“Weak and pathetic Congressman Dan Goldman just lost, BIG!” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the results were official. “I guess people didn’t like him illegally targeting President TRUMP. In any event, this jerk is finally GONE!”

Despite Trump’s animosity, his Department of Justice has opened a probe into a NYC coffee shop for declaring that it would turn away Goldman if they had recognized him during a recent visit.

The controversy began last Sunday, when Goldman got a coffee at the Poetica Coffee in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Later that day, the business made an Instagram post calling out Goldman over his support for Israel.

“We see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee,” read the caption, under a photo of Goldman in the store checking his phone. “Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?”

“We don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers or anyone in between. Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away,” it continued.

The shop’s policy of denying bigots and genocide supporters has inevitably led to a massive meltdown among right-wing media and the pro-Israel set, who have also discovered that the shop’s owner is an immigrant from Uzbekistan who has donated to the Graham Platner campaign.

Zionists have turned the area in front of the coffee shop into a protest site, which has prompted pro-Palestine counter-protesters to show up as well.

Goldman says the situation doesn’t warrant a DOJ investigation. “I think there are other people in the Jewish community who are really scared and that the focus of the Civil Rights Division should be on them, more than a public figure,” he told the press.

None of this is taking place in a vacuum. In addition to Goldman losing his seat, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, two candidates who highlighted Palestinian rights on the campaign trail, also won their elections.

These developments have led to extreme levels of hysteria, as pundits invoke 1930s Germany and fantasize about the most Jewish city in America becoming a haven of antisemitism.

“To my beautiful Jewish friends in America. We love you. You are not alone,” wrote Meghan McCain wrote on Twitter. We are just as freaked out as you are and see with clear eyes exactly what is happening.”

“Serious conversations beginning over whether there is a future for Jews in the United States,” claims conservative commentator Joel Pollak. “Israel is in a dangerous neighborhood, but it controls its own borders. Nobody voted for the kind of migration that allowed New York to go from Jewish capital to capital of antisemitism.”

Back in reality, Israel has simply emerged as a litmus test for many voters as a result of the Gaza genocide and the war with Iran. Additionally, more and more people are learning about Zionism and rejecting it.

The probe into Poetica reveals something important, but not surprising, about the White House. Despite alleged frustrations with Netanyahu, defense of Israel still outweighs any personal vendettas.

AIPAC in Maryland

There’s understandably been a lot of coverage of the New York election, but less focus on Maryland, where pro-Israel Adrian Boafo prevailed in the state’s 5th district primary.

Boafo is now slated to replace retiring, longtime incumbent Steny Hoyer, who has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters on the Democratic side of the aisle.

AIPAC spent nearly $6 million in support of Boafo. In addition to Israel lobby money, Boafo, a former big tech lobbyist, received over $5 million from a crypto PAC.

“Boafo has made clear his vision to carry forward the strong pro-Israel legacy of Congressman Steny Hoyer, one of Congress’s most steadfast champions of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” declared the lobbying group after the race was called.

“Boafo sent a message that AIPAC still has the power to buoy Democratic candidates even as criticism of Israel surges in the progressive wing of the party and the Democratic electorate,” noted the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

I can’t be the only one who initially read “buoy” as “buy” in that sentence, but I digress.

This is undoubtedly a big win for AIPAC, but it doesn’t exactly point to a sea change. As is often the case when lawmakers retire, the field was extremely crowded, and Boafo won with just 32% of the vote.

Since so many people were running, progressive organizations did not intervene heavily. The Working Families Party backed Harry Dunn, a Capitol Police officer who received a Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the January 6 insurrection. He has no record on Palestine and didn’t address it during his campaign, but AIPAC spent heavily to block him from reaching office in 2024 when he ran for the seat in Maryland’s 3rd district.

Shortly before the election, Jewish Insider ran an interesting piece detailing how the Hoyer camp used its political connections to help propel Boafo to his 32% showing.

“The well-funded foray is a useful illustration of the degree to which planning and organization helped put Boafo in contention for the seat Hoyer has held for 45 years, in contrast with recent primaries where UDP and other pro-Israel advocacy groups have been relatively cautious with their engagement while being outflanked by the far left,” it noted.

AIPAC is also simply holding its ground in this situation. The transition from Hoyer to Boafo will presumably be seamless on foreign policy, but it’s not like the Lobby is expanding its base in Congress. The $5.7 million they spent simply staved off further erosion.