Dec. 13: A group of 140 interns and fellows on Capitol Hill have signed a letter to Congress slamming senior staff and US lawmakers for suppressing demands for a ceasefire in Gaza, Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday.
According to the MEE report, the group of congressional interns said in the letter that they could no longer stay silent on the growing calls for a ceasefire both within the halls of Congress as well as among the American public.
“While we refrain from telling our bosses how to do their jobs, as congressional interns and fellows, we owe it to the American people to expose the patent malpractice of Congress,” the letter said.
The interns said that 71 of the 535 congressional offices alone received nearly 700,000 calls, letters, and voice messages demanding a permanent ceasefire in the besieged enclave. Despite this, less than two dozen lawmakers have signed on to become co-sponsors of Congresswoman Cori Bush’s “Ceasefire Now” resolution, which was introduced over a month ago.
In addition to its criticism against lawmakers, the interns also pointed critiques at senior staff across congressional offices, saying “in several instances, senior staff have deliberately provided inaccurate information about these data” to members of Congress.
The letter, in which the signatories remained anonymous, is the latest sign in what is a growing discontent over Washington’s response to the war in Gaza.
“We may not be the highest ranking in our offices, but we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure a permanent ceasefire is achieved, even when Members of Congress fail to do so.”
