WASHINGTON — Mike Bloomberg will be the only 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to attend the AIPAC annual conference after Bernie Sanders boycotted the influential pro-Israel lobbying group event.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference is a bipartisan event attended by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers but has come under fire in recent years over allegations it is too far right.
Billionaire Bloomberg, New York’s former mayor, will be in Washington just one day before the crucial Super Tuesday contest, where he is competing on the ballot for the first time.
The decision to attend has rankled Democratic presidential wannabes this year — Sanders last week sparking a feud with the powerful lobby by claiming it provides a platform “for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota appeared via pre-recorded video addresses Sunday — Klobuchar flip-flopping on her previous decision to skip the event altogether.
Ex-South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg was also scheduled to appear via video address Sunday afternoon, but that was scrapped when he decided to end his White House bid.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also said she wouldn’t be attending, claiming her campaign was focused instead on the primary races on Tuesday.
President Trump has not appeared at AIPAC since 2016, when the organization drew heat after Trump went after President Barack Obama from the stage and then apologized, the mea culpa drawing criticism itself.
This year, Vice President Mike Pence will address the huge crowd of 18,000, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will also appear.




