‘Don’t Cut Me Off!’ Harris Faulkner And Marie Harf Spar In Tense Fox Debate Over Anti-Semitism
Fox News contributor Marie Harf sparred with her fellow co-hosts on Outnumbered on Thursday in an at-times tense debate over the rise of anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party. After a lengthy discussion about the winning Democratic Socialist candidates in New York City on Tuesday, Harf conceded that some of what she’s seen is deeply problematic but argued that there is anti-Semitism in both parties that needs to be called out.
“Do you agree with this premise? Does it frighten you? Are there concerns emanating throughout the Democratic Party about how anti-Semitism has been fomented or has been appearing?” asked Emily Compagno to begin the discussion.
“Well, look, I have lots of thoughts on this. First, I would say what we are seeing across the country is an anti-incumbency, anti-establishment movement — people in both parties saying, ‘We want you out, we want new leaders.’ On this issue, look — when it comes to Dan Goldman, he was beaten by a fellow Jewish politician, Brad Lander, who calls himself a liberal Zionist,” Harf replied, adding:
He doesn’t support Israel killing civilians in Gaza. He doesn’t support what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank. But for Dan Goldman to say that is anti-Semitism — look, we are all opposed to anti-Semitism. I’ve worked on this issue for a long time, and we need to call it out when it is there, and there are some Democratic candidates who I think are there, and I really do not want to be part of my party and do not support them.
But someone like Brad Lander — we have to have room in this country to oppose the Netanyahu administration in Israel, to say that Israeli policy is not good, without all being called anti-Semites. And to say that Brad Lander, who is Jewish, who got a lot of the Jewish community to support him in ousting Dan Goldman, is somehow anti-Israel or anti-Semitic — that is a cheap shot. And quite frankly, it weakens the argument when we do call out actual anti-Semitism, of which there is a lot on the right.
“His money was refunded at a coffee shop, my God. He’s calling out anti-Semitism because, you know, he was a victim of it 48 hours ago, and that should be the focus right now,” Kayleigh McEnany jumped in, adding:
Chevalier — OK, you want to talk about Brad Lander? You know about Chevalier, who, after babies were put in ovens on October 7th, the day after, attended a pro-Palestine rally where there were speakers who attempted to justify October 7th.
Claire Valdez — when they put Goldman on the screen at the victory party, her victory party, the crowd was chanting “Free Palestine.” You need to reckon with this part of your party. I’m going to quote Sarah Forman, a Democratic strategist. She said, “This is the version of the Democrats that the voting population of New York wants. We need to stop pretending it is not the case. These are socialists, in most cases anti-Semites.” Sixty-six percent of your party—
“Then why did so many Jews vote for them if they’re all anti-Semites?” Harf insisted.
“With all due respect, because I love you and you’re a smart political person — but if you think we’re talking, off air, about whether Jon Ossoff could win a Democratic primary… absolutely, no way, no how. You’re looking at an AOC winning a Democratic primary. Socialism is the way forward for your party. Sixty-six percent of Democrats say it, and until you reckon with it, we’re having a socialist takeover of a party that represents half the country,” McEnany shot back.
As the conversation continued and got more heated, Harf asked, “What about the people on the conservative side expressing hate? They’ve been doing this too — don’t change the subject. We’re talking about the Democrats; call out the Republicans too. This is not a Democratic problem.”
“We don’t have the anti-Semites — two of whom won a primary just Tuesday night. Do you know how many— Name for me the two Republican anti-Semites who won a primary?” McEnany challenged.
“I could give you a list of a hundred,” Harf hit back.
Griff Jenkins jumped in and added, “OK, let’s go nationwide — in Maine, an oyster farmer who’s a Nazi.”
“That’s not true,” said Harris Faulkner with a laugh as Jenkins went on to list other candidates he views as anti-Semitic.
Faulkner and Harf then continued the debate. Here is a transcript of some of their exchange:
Harf: This is the thing, people, I don’t think a lot of these voters that voted for democratic socialists also voted for Donald Trump in 2024. So some of it is about policies. I mean, we can look at the data. It’s just— the numbers don’t lie. They want someone— Well, what hints us there is free stuff.
Faulkner: But the hint there is free stuff and affordability. That’s completely different.
Harf: They want someone who’s going to blow up the system.
Faulkner: We’re talking about hatred for Jews in this country, okay? And the press, the physical press against them, the threats against them up more than 400 percent in just the last few years. We cannot let that cook. This is 1933, by the way, where you’ve got people who want to go to a business who happen to be Jewish, and they’re being turned away. I remember— and I don’t know if everybody has studied it this much— but that’s really when it started. It didn’t start with killing Jews. It started with— push, please don’t cut me off, because I’m gonna require that you know more than what you’re saying about what they’re going through right now.
Harf: I have studied this my entire life. And when Donald Trump—
Faulkner: But what are they going through now? This is our moment not to let this happen again.
Harf: Then call out anyone who does it. And when Donald Trump says Chuck Schumer is a Palestinian and he’s a bad Jew, call that out too.
Faulkner: I’m calling out, on this couch today, the topic that we’re on, is in your party. And instead of you taking responsibility for that, with any kind of idea of how to stop it for— Goldman even was against Trump, but look what happened to him. It happened because he’s Jewish.
Harf: It did not happen because he’s Jewish. It happened because he gave a blank check to a right-wing Netanyahu government that is committing genocide in Gaza.
Watch the full clip above via Fox News.
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