House Democrat Calls Out His Own Party’s ‘Double Standard’ in New York Times Op-Ed

(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) called out his own party’s “glaring double standard” when it comes to antisemitism, claiming colleagues are too afraid to say publicly what they tell him privately.

In a New York Times op-ed published on Sunday, Gottheimer accused Democrats of being appropriately quick to condemn right wing extremism, but far too hesitant to call out extremism in their own party.

“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,” the congressman wrote. “It’s a glaring double standard.”

Gottheimer used far-left commentator and activist Hasan Piker as an example to back his point, citing some of Piker’s controversies and accusing Democrats of being too afraid to publicly condemn the popular figure.

He wrote:

Consider the response to — really, the embrace of — Hasan Piker, a prominent left-wing commentator with millions of online followers. He referred to Orthodox Jews as “inbred” and said “America deserved 9/11,” both statements he halfheartedly walked back. He said that Hamas — a designated terrorist organization that has killed Americans and taken Americans hostage — is “a thousand times better” than Israel, America’s ally, which he called a “fascist settler colonial apartheid state” — a statement he stands by. None of this should be waved away as mere edgy commentary. Mr. Piker traffics in antisemitic and anti-American extremism that has been met by silence from many on the Democratic left.

Sadly, we’ve seen several prominent Democrats appear on his show and even campaign with him, granting his views legitimacy.

Gottheimer claimed some of his Democratic colleagues have privately expressed outrage over Piker.

“I’ve spoken to congressional colleagues who have privately told me that many things Mr. Piker has said are disgusting,” he wrote. “Yet they’ll say nothing about it in public, even as they rightly rush to condemn President [Donald] Trump for his unending barrage of offensive comments and social media posts.”

Read the full op-ed here.

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