Donald Trump Opponent Hit By ‘Breitbart News’ With Apparent Anti-Semitic Slur
Breitbart News, a media site that supports Donald Trump, stunned readers with an op-ed piece that labeled one of Trump’s Republican opponents, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, a “renegade Jew.”
“Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew Prepares Third Party Effort to block Trump’s Path to White House,” was the headline of the Breitbart story, which never actually used the controversial phrase in the body of the article.
The piece attacked Kristol, an outspoken leader of the #NeverTrump movement, for seeking a third party conservative alternative for Republicans who feel alienated by Trump.
“While millions of Republican primary voters have chosen Donald Trump as the party’s nominee,” the piece, written by David Horowitz, began, “Bill Kristol and a small but well-heeled group of Washington insiders are preparing a third party effort to block Trump’s path to the White House.”
The piece stated that Kristol’s goal was to find a different nominee who would keep both Trump and the Democratic nominee, who will likely be former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, from reaching the necessary 270 electoral votes in November, and thus throw the race to the House of Representatives, as specified in the U.S. Constitution.
The last this happened in a presidential race was in 1824, when John Quincy Adams was selected by the House even though Andrew Jackson had more popular and electoral college votes, but not the necessary majority.
Among the items that Breitbart News attacked Kristol for was Trump’s defense of former boxer and convicted rapist Mike Tyson. Breitbart responded that Tyson is “an icon to an important segment of the voting population,” and that his endorsement of Trump is “no small achievement.”
Breitbart also defended Trump, as well as the National Enquirer tabloid, for suggesting that Ted Cruz’s father may have been involved in the Kennedy assassination.
“What’s horrible is a leading presidential candidate trading in crackpot conspiracy theories,” Kristol was quoted. But Breitbart dismissed Trump’s suggestion about Cruz’s father as “Trumpian campaign mischief” that was similar to his oft-repeated statement that Cruz was born in Canada, and therefore ineligible to run for president.
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Though the piece refers to Kristol as a “renegade Jew,” The Washington Post noted that the 1,800 word piece does not even mention Judaism or Israel until the final paragraph. As The Post summarized the Breitbart article, “Unless you make it all the way to the end — and perhaps, even if you do — you’ll leave with the impression of an anti-Semitic attack.”
Reactions to the Breitbart article came quickly.
https://www.facebook.com/david.bahnsen/posts/10153670196682825
'Renegade Jew' trends as Breitbart uses the term to describe William Kristol https://t.co/9xuwlc3kLs via @HuffPostMedia
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) May 16, 2016
With "renegade Jew," Breitbart just brought Trump-era anti-Semitism to the mainstream: https://t.co/CV3JlzHBws pic.twitter.com/TdcRLPWnZT
— Slate (@Slate) May 16, 2016
I have loved David Horowitz's work for years. I can't believe this "renegade Jew" crap. More proof Trump a cancer that corrupts everything.
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) May 16, 2016
Horowitz then wrote a follow-up piece for Breitbart News, where he admitted that he was responsible for giving the article its title, including the controversial statement. While he said that he respects that many Republicans are still “skeptical about Donald Trump,” he then added, “But the primaries are over and Donald Trump is now the nominee,” and hence they are obligated to support him.
He closed his follow-up by stating that the term he allotted to Kristol was one “for which I make no apologies.”
What do you think? Are such statements acceptable in American politics?
[Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images]
