A pro-Israel super-PAC released an ad this week questioning the state of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders' health and whether he was fit for office.
The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) spent a reported 681,000 dollars on the ad that features Iowan voters expressing concern over whether Sanders has what it takes to be president.
Despite critics accusing the ad of hitting below the belt, DMFI president Mark Mellman said, "I think for many months now, the consensus has been that he really didn't have much of a chance at winning the nomination."
"We looked at the situation a couple of weeks ago and decided that assumption was no longer valid – that he really does have a chance to win the nomination. And we thought that would be bad for Democrats, in terms of our ability to defeat Donald Trump, and bad for the issues that we care about," he added.
Even though the ad does not focus on Israel or Sanders' foreign policy beliefs, Mellman admits that the candidate's remarks about the Jewish state prompted the super PAC to launch the ad.
"He's voted right on a lot of legislation, but at the same time, he uses hyperbolic and vituperative language designed to stigmatize Israel," Mellman said.
Meanwhile, strategists in Sanders' camp are attempting to exert damage control as the fateful Iowa primary is only a week away.
In an email to supporters, Sanders' campaign manager Faiz Shaki wrote, "This morning we learned that an outside spending group placed 700,000 dollars' worth of negative ads in Iowa attacking Bernie Sanders. We have a small lead in Iowa heading into Monday's caucuses. But outside groups are on the attack and hoping to stop us. Bernie needs us all if we're going to fight back and win."
Similarly, campaign co-chair Rep. Ro Kahana (D-CA) took to Twitter and slammed the ad.
"For a Democratic Super PAC to attack Bernie Sanders' health is beyond the pale of decency," Kahana said. "Imagine the outrage if a Dem group had run attack ads about FDR's polio. Every presidential candidate must denounce this and call for the ad to be taken down."
