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Lee Zeldin Making Friends All Over Congress

By Warren Rojas
Posted November 19, 2014 at 4:44pm

Rep.-elect Lee Zeldin has only been around Capitol Hill for a few days, but he’s already making quite the impression among the New York delegation.

As originally reported by Newsday , the incoming Republican huddled with Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer earlier this week for a strategy session about all things Empire State. At one point during that exchange, Zeldin reportedly asked Schumer if Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel was actually Jewish, to which the senior senator replied, “I think so.”  

When word got back to Israel, the House lawmaker gave Zeldin some guff online.

Zeldin attempted to smooth things over by floating a “manischewitz summit” — an offer that’s still hanging out there.  

“It has not been scheduled yet,” an Israel aide said of the proposed sit-down. As evidenced by all the smiling faces in the multiple-person selfies (aka ussies) plastered across Zeldin’s Twitter feed, mingling with newly minted colleagues appears to be a breeze.

 

A Zeldin aide said the freshman lawmaker has also met with House Republicans Peter T. King, Chris Gibson and Chris Collins, and has touched base either via phone or by email with Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Grace Meng.  

No word, however, on when he’ll get together with distant relative Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.  

“I have known for years that there was a family relation to Congressman Engel,” Zeldin told HOH about the marital ties. And Engel is Jewish to boot!  


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