Douglas Bloomfield

Douglas M. Bloomfield is a syndicated columnist, Washington lobbyist and consultant. He spent nine years as the legislative director and chief lobbyist for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In this position, he was responsible for developing and guiding strategy on Capitol Hill to secure military and economic aid for Israel and strengthen US-Israel relations. As the World Jewish Congress representative in Washington, he helped coordinate the Swiss banks and Nazi gold investigations and US government support for restitution of Jewish properties seized by former Nazi and Communist regimes. He is a Capitol Hill veteran who served as a senior advisor to Congressman Benjamin S. Rosenthal of New York and a legislative assistant for Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. Prior to that, he was a member of the editorial staff for Ohio's The Cleveland Plain Dealer . Bloomfield has taught college journalism, and is a former president of the Greater Washington Jewish Community Relations Council.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacts at a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in Jerusalem, September 15, 2025

The question Netanyahu must answer: What did he know before October 7? - opinion

As Israelis head to the polls, questions over Netanyahu’s knowledge of October 7 and calls for an inquiry are taking center stage.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, March 2, 2026.

Hegseth's Pentagon record faces scrutiny as impeachment vote looms - opinion

Hegseth escaped an immediate impeachment vote, but questions over his war leadership and conduct are unlikely to disappear.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2026
US President Donald Trump seen in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC, US, January 14, 2026

Trump’s election rhetoric raises fresh questions for Republicans - opinion

Trump’s call to “cheat like hell” in the midterms highlights the contradiction between his election rhetoric and his claims of protecting election integrity.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

Trump’s Iran war has left him without a clear path to victory - opinion

The Iran war has weakened Tehran, but Trump may struggle to secure a nuclear deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference discussing fertilizer policy at USDA Headquarters in Washington, DC, US, May 19, 2026.

Netanyahu’s double standard on settler violence is hurting Israel - opinion

Netanyahu’s failure to confront violent settlers is damaging Israel’s standing abroad and exposing what critics call a double standard of justice.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2026
Settlers attack members of the NBC News team in the West Bank, August 29, 2026.

El-Sayed win puts Democrats and pro-Israel voters at a crossroads - opinion

Abdul El-Sayed’s election may be necessary to convince AIPAC and Israeli leaders that they have a serious problem, and kissing Trump’s narcissistic ring isn’t working.

AUGUST 27, 2026
Abdul El-Sayed, winner of Michigan US Democratic primary, speaks during a press conference in Detroit, Michigan, US August 5, 2026.

SNAFU on the Potomac: Trump, Iran, and the dysfunction in Washington - opinion

The incumbents will swear they’ve been working diligently for you, but it is all the others who’ve made the mess. Most citizens will agree on the need for change but then send in the same old clowns.

AUGUST 19, 2026
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance point to the stage during Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 15, 2024.

Is Netanyahu the Palestinians’ new BFF? - opinion

The Saudis insisted they would not normalize relations until Israel and the Palestinians had made credible progress on negotiations toward statehood, something Netanyahu rejected.

AUGUST 13, 2026
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, attend a funeral service for the late US senator Lindsey Graham in Washington, in July 2026.

Trump declared victory in Iran. The war says otherwise - opinion

This was another case of what has come to be known as TACO, Trump Chickens Out Again. This is not the first – and likely not the last – time he warns of strikes only to back down at the last minute.

AUGUST 5, 2026
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026.

The Saudi nuclear deal Trump didn't seem ready to announce - opinion

In a series of snafus, Trump was embarrassed, the Saudis blindsided, the region trembled, Israel worried, and everyone was confused.

JULY 30, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman attend a bilateral meeting at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025.

Fear factor: Trump's midterm election strategy - opinion

What is it about free and fair elections that terrifies Donald Trump?

JULY 26, 2026
US President Donald Trump speaks at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, US, July 15, 2026.

What were they thinking? Israel, US, and the missteps from Iran to AIPAC - opinion

The strange doings in Washington were just a small component of the “what were they thinking?” march of folly in this surrealistic new world.

JULY 19, 2026
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.

From McCarthy to Trump: How the politics of fear made a comeback - opinion

Trump’s revival of anti-communist rhetoric echoes McCarthyism as Republicans battle fears of losing control of Congress.

JULY 8, 2026
US President Donald Trump speaks at a Fourth of July rally, marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, US, July 4, 2026.