Mike Lawler says Piker openly applauded Hamas terrorism
Mike LawlerU.S. representative for New York's 17th District; co-introducer of the resolution
Introducing a House resolution with Josh Gottheimer that cites Piker's Hamas-over-Israel comparison among other statements, Lawler said Piker had openly applauded Hamas terrorism, downplayed sexual violence on October 7 and dehumanized Orthodox Jews.
“Piker has openly applauded Hamas’ terrorism, downplayed the mass rape of civilians on October 7th, and dehumanized Orthodox Jews as ‘inbred.’”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Hasan Piker’s “Hamas over Israel” comparison
Hasan Piker affirmed a hypothetical preference for Hamas over Israel through lesser-evil reasoning. Jon Favreau disputed the moral comparison, while the ADL cited it as whitewashing terrorism. Piker later acknowledged Hamas war crimes and denied endorsing its domestic policies, while maintaining that Israeli occupation was the overriding concern.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
First-party congressional release announcing a resolution concerning Piker and Candace Owens. Gottheimer's quotation addresses antisemitism and influential voices broadly; the linked resolution specifically includes Piker's Hamas-over-Israel comparison. This source does not support treating Gottheimer's statement as addressing only that comparison.
Before the quotation
Gottheimer and Lawler announced a resolution condemning antisemitic rhetoric from online personalities, naming Piker and Candace Owens.
After the quotation
Lawler criticized Owens and said both had a responsibility to confront bigotry rather than amplify it.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Piker's affirmed preference for Hamas over Israel. Lawler's own words criticize Piker's broader rhetoric, and this case does not include general criticism of Piker. It is included because Lawler made the statement to introduce a resolution that cites the comparison, so his charge that Piker applauded Hamas terrorism is tied to it. Challenged the characterization loses because Lawler condemns the conduct rather than disputing how it was described. Evidence: the joint official press release.
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More from this case
Read the full casePiker defends his Israel–Hamas comparison in Axios interview
“This is intentionally a provocative statement, but it’s also something that I personally believe as well. I’m not being insincere when I say this.”Read statement
Symone D. Sanders Townsend rejects Piker’s policing analogy
“I’m going to let Eugene move on, but I just want to note, it sounds like the example that you just gave that the people who are protesting the police are Hamas. And I just would reject that as somebody who has protested the police before, but we can move on.”Read statement
Piker reaffirms the comparison on MS NOW: “I do believe that”
“Is Hamas a religious fundamentalist operation that have engaged in violent actions? Of course they have, absolutely. But that violence is directly born out of, and even that repression is directly born out of, the conditions brought about by the occupation that’s been going on for 80 plus years.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Mike Lawler says Piker openly applauded Hamas terrorism". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4814-introducing-a-house-resolution-with-josh-gottheimer-that