DNC Autopsy Exposes the Left’s ‘Gaza’ Excuse as Nonsense

It’s hard to summon any sympathy for Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin following his reluctant decision to release a half-finished and wholly unsatisfying draft of the party’s long-awaited 2024 election “autopsy.” His fellow Democrats may, however, commiserate with the embattled party functionary over his torment by the far-left activist class amid its effort to force him to rewrite history.

Back in February, Axios reporter Holly Otterbein dropped a bombshell: The autopsy’s release was delayed amid internal Democratic friction over acknowledging the degree to which Benjamin Netanyahu tanked Kamala Harris’s presidential bid. According to Otterbein’s sources within the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project, which had supposedly been granted early access to the DNC’s data, the Biden administration’s pro-Israel policies alienated fellow activists, handing the election to Donald Trump. “The IMEU Policy Project is now accusing the DNC of withholding its report in part because of its findings on Israel,” the report alleged.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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It’s hard to summon any sympathy for Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin following his reluctant decision to release a half-finished and wholly unsatisfying draft of the party’s long-awaited 2024 election “autopsy.” His fellow Democrats may, however, commiserate with the embattled party functionary over his torment by the far-left activist class amid its effort to force him to rewrite history.

Back in February, Axios reporter Holly Otterbein dropped a bombshell: The autopsy’s release was delayed amid internal Democratic friction over acknowledging the degree to which Benjamin Netanyahu tanked Kamala Harris’s presidential bid. According to Otterbein’s sources within the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project, which had supposedly been granted early access to the DNC’s data, the Biden administration’s pro-Israel policies alienated fellow activists, handing the election to Donald Trump. “The IMEU Policy Project is now accusing the DNC of withholding its report in part because of its findings on Israel,” the report alleged.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.