Brandon Williams, John Mannion spar over Israel in heated upstate NY battleground debate

In a debate that bitterly pitted two battleground congressional candidates — Rep.Brandon Williams (R-NY) and state Sen.

John Mannion — against each other, it was their record on Israel that caused sparks to fly Tuesday.After Williams accused Mannion of remaining “silent” in the aftermath of the Oct.7 attack by Hamas, the Democrat fired back visibly frustrated.“My opponent has no shame,” Mannion began.“To paint me as someone who is not supportive of Israel is outrageous, and it’s disgusting.

It’s another example of my opponent trying to grandstand on an issue that is serious,” he continued.“You were silent that day John, you were silent,” Williams retorted.“Everyone can check my Facebook page and see that a statement came out on Oct.7,” Mannion yelled back as his mic appeared to be shut off.“We did, and it is absolutely shameful,” Williams continued before touting standing with Jewish students at Syracuse University and threatening university presidents that didn’t shut down pro-Hamas protests.The back-and-forth was the peak of several barbs exchanged by the two candidates from the start of the debate.Off the bat, each was asked by moderators to respond to attack ads being levied against them in the battleground district, which has seen millions of dollars in attack ads over the past few months.

They include ads highlighting several accusations that Mannion and his wife mistreated staffers.“They’re untruthful.They should be rejected.

And what we’ve seen is the infiltration of nasty politics, representatives of places like Texas that should be rejected,” Mannion said.“The ethics charges against my opponent are absolutely true, and they’re absolutely serious and those women deserve to be heard,” Williams retorted.Williams also pushed back on claims he’d support a national abortion ban and would cut social security.“I have said that clearly I won’t vote for a national ban,” the congressman said.Despite the ba...