President Joe Biden has rescinded the nomination of James Cavallaro, in the wake of the Ivy League law professor apparently invoking antisemitic tropes in his criticism of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
For Tuesday's withdraw announcement, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the Biden administration was previously not aware of the comments made by Cavallaro — who was up for a position with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
According to reports, Cavallaro had accused Jeffries of being "bought ... purchased ... controlled" by pro-Israel lobbying groups.
"We were not aware of the statements and writings," Price told reporters.
Last Friday, Cavallaro, the founder and executive director of the University Network for Human Rights, had been designated as a U.S. candidate for commissioner on the IACHR, an agency within the Organization for American States (OAS), for the 2024-2027 term.
The Washington D.C.-based IACHR includes seven members who serve in a personal capacity, but are also characterized as persons of "high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights."
The Algemeiner, a non-profit news outlet covering news related to the Jewish world and the Middle East, first reported on Cavallaro's tweet about Jeffries, which apparently came in response to an article about pro-Israel groups fundraising for the congressman.
Cavallaro reportedly used similarly disparaging language when characterizing Israel as an apartheid state — a label rejected by the Biden administration.
"His statements clearly do not reflect U.S. policy, they are not a reflection of what we believe and they are inappropriate to say the least," Price said of Cavallaro.
Also, Cavallaro reportedly published negative remarks about Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., saying he was "bought and paid for," and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, qualifying her as "pedantic, self-righteous and pompous."
Cavallaro also urged Collins to "learn from the Palestinian people" and resign from the Senate, due to her "repeated moral failings."
It's worth noting: The above social media posts had been deleted by Cavallaro, prior to being contacted for comment from The Algemeiner.
However, via Twitter, Cavallaro issued an 11-tweet statement regarding the State Department's withdraw nomination, saying it had been rescinded "because of my view that the conditions in Israel/Palestine meet the definition of apartheid under international human rights law."
Cavallaro also wrote: "My nomination would not have affected U.S. policy on Israel. What has the withdrawal of my nomination achieved? The removal from the [Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)] of the potential return of a committed, experienced advocate for human rights in the Americas."
The General Assembly of the Organization of American States members select from a list of nominated candidates. The results will be voted on this June.