WASHINGTON — Rep. Josh Gottheimer issued a sharp rebuke to his fellow Democrats over the weekend for failing to denounce antisemitism and hateful rhetoric from the left while being eager to condemn the right for the same offenses.
Gottheimer (D-NJ) recounted private conversations he’s had with colleagues who have lamented the rise of left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, but refused to publicly condemn his extremist language.
“Today, too many Democrats are noticeably and shamefully silent when antisemitism comes from the far left — at a moment when the Anti-Defamation League is reporting a surge of antisemitic incidents in the past three years,” Gottheimer wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Sunday.
“It’s a glaring double standard.”
Piker, the nephew of “Young Turks” host Cenk Uygur, previously claimed that “America deserved 9/11,” hailed Hamas as “a thousand times better” than Israel, called Orthodox Jews “inbred,” and mused about killing Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Gottheimer noted that Piker has a right to free speech, but argued that Democrats have an obligation to challenge his hateful views.
“I’ve spoken to congressional colleagues who have privately told me that many things Mr. Piker has said are disgusting,” the congressman reflected. “Yet they’ll say nothing about it in public, even as they rightly rush to condemn President Trump for his unending barrage of offensive comments.”
“There should be one response to those who express hatred toward any American: condemnation. Hate is hate,” he later added. “It doesn’t get a pass because it comes from your side of the aisle.”
Gottheimer also ripped his colleagues for justifying votes to block military aid to Israel, while waving through assistance to other countries that have human rights concerns.
“If this is now the standard for supporting military aid and arms sales, then Democratic members of Congress should at least be consistent,” he argued. “Do they also believe we should block weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, given the history of human rights abuses in those countries?”
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