Brian Stelter, Bill Kristol Blast Lou Dobbs Guest for Anti-Semitic Caravan Conspiracy Theory: ‘So Gross’
In the wake of the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue, CNN’s Brian Stelter covered comments from a guest on Lou Dobbs‘ Fox Business show that has drawn outrage for its apparent anti-Semitic undertones.
Stelter first turned to Weekly Standard editor at large Bill Kristol, who was targeted by name at President Donald Trump‘s rally Saturday night, held after the shooting.
Kristol said Trump has “helped create an environment that made this possible,” along with right wing media outlets like Fox News, which he said “have made this much more acceptable” with “their coverage of the caravan, and the danger of immigrants.”
Robert Bowers, the gunman who opened fire in the synagogue on Saturday, killing 11 people, frequently wrote anti-Semitic posts, threatened Jews, and pushed conspiracy theories about the migrant caravan on his social media accounts.
“Last night after, I think it was, the killing, someone on Fox Business had a guest talking about ‘the Soros-occupied State Department,'” Kristol said.
Kristol was referring to a viral tweet of a segment on Lou Dobbs’ show, in which Judicial Watch director Chris Farrell made some very questionable comments about the caravan.
Straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Just moments ago, Lou Dobbs guest Chris Farrell (head of Judicial Watch) says Caravan is being funded/directed by the “Soros-occupied State Department”. pic.twitter.com/QBSong7uk1
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 27, 2018
Important fact check here: that clip aired on Saturday night, but was a rerun of the Thursday episode of Lou Dobbs Tonight. Farrell’s comments, while characteristically reprehensible, came before the mass shooting at a synagogue.
In the clip, Farrell — completely baselessly — says the caravan is being funded by the “Soros-occupied State Department.”
“I don’t want to play the clip from Lou Dobbs because it’s so gross,” Stelter remarked on Sunday.
“Soros-occupied is a play on Zionist Occupied Government,” Kristol explained. “Which is a very familiar anti-Semitic trope. Soros is Jewish, and the right has been obsessed with him for that among other reasons.”
“And this brings it all together. So it’s the Jews, the evil Jews, occupying the U.S. government, and bringing in alien invaders into this country,” he continued. “And you don’t have to go that far, unfortunately, into not just right wing websites but even Fox News, as we just saw, to get that kind of narrative.”
Kristol said he blames Fox News for putting Farrell on the air, and network management and talent for “saying nothing” about those kinds of comments.
Watch above, via CNN.
UPDATE: Fox Business Network issued a statement from Gary Schreier, the Senior Vice President of Programming, condemning the remarks from Farrell and announcing the episode has been pulled:
“We condemn the rhetoric by the guest on Lou Dobbs Tonight. This episode was a repeat which has now been pulled from all future airings.”
Farrell will no longer be appearing on Fox News or Fox Business Network, a spokesperson said.
