US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Chuck Schumer

US Senator

Days after Senator Chuck Schumer of New York voiced his opposition to the U.S.-backed nuclear deal with Iran, he faced accusations that went beyond the notion that “reasonable people can disagree.”

The Jewish lawmaker, the highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said his political position was guided by his belief that “Iran will not change,” and therefore, under the agreement, “will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power.”

Still, Schumer was subsequently the target of one of oldest anti-Semitic canards: that of dual loyalty and treason.

Jewish leaders across the spectrum quickly came to Schumer’s defense. Said Jonathan Greenblatt, the new national director of the Anti-Defamation League, “There is room for a legitimate debate on the Iran deal; however, charges” of disloyalty “against Senator Schumer — and any other members who articulate on fact-based but alternative views — are beyond inappropriate.”