Chris Cuomo Interviews Anti-Israel Conspiracy Theorist, Calls Him ‘At the Head of the Next Generation’ of ‘Political Thought’

Isaac SchorrMar 4th, 2024, 2:21 pm
 

NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo hosted anti-Israel conspiracy theorist Jackson Hinkle on his podcast last week, describing him as at the “head” of the “next generation” of “political thought in the country.”

Hinkle is a social media influencer who has seen his following more than quintuple in size since the outbreak of the war between Hamas and Israel as he’s promoted various falsehoods about the war.

In a preamble, Cuomo said that “if you’re a Nazi, or you’re a hater, or wanna eradicate people, anti-Semitic — something like that — then you have no value, then I don’t have you on the show.”

“But if you have ideas that are controversial, if you’re somebody who outrages people because of what you say you want for this country or others that aren’t about destroying or hurting people, they’re just different, then that’s about conversation,” continued Cuomo before suggesting that Hinkle’s “ideas” are “resonant.”

Then he introduced Hinkle to his audience:

Let’s give you an opportunity to learn something about somebody that you’ve heard a lot about, but you may feel differently once you listen to them directly in the context of this conversation. It’s gotta be about that. You don’t have to agree, but you can’t just shut things out if they don’t line up with where you are right now. You never get better that way — never get better. So, Jackson Hinkle: He’s young, he’s relevant, he’s got a lot to say about politics at home and abroad. Let’s get after it.

Jackson Hinkle, thank you very much. It’s good to have you here, it’s nice to talk to somebody who’s at the head of the next generation of a lot of social media and political thought in the country. Thanks for taking time with the old guy.

Later, Cuomo brought up the war between Israel and Hamas by calling it a “foreign issue” that Hinkle has been “very vocal” on.

“You are very, very strong in your advocacy for Israel getting out of Palestine, for Israel being the ultimate aggressor, and in the wrong,” began the host. “And that is a completely legitimate argument and position to have. Selling cups of Zionist tears is asking for trouble, but I get it, I get what you’re doing. How do you stop the war between Gaza now, but soon I believe everything south and north of Israel? How do you end it in a way where Israel can be safe and — let’s just stick with Gaza and Palestine for now and not go through the whole Hezbollah piece and Lebanon — how do you do it? How do you stop what’s happening now and create safety on both sides?”

Hinkle went on to advocate the cessation of all American aid to Israel.

“What happens if you cease all military aid for Israel? You’re gonna have Israel collapse as a country. And then you would have one country where hopefully people can get along like they have for generations and generations prior to 1948,” said Hinkle.

To his credit, Cuomo responded by submitting that Israel’s neighbors would likely eradicate the Jews in the region in that scenario and that Hamas can’t be allowed to represent the Palestinians. Ultimately, though, his next question for Hinkle elided the Israel-Hamas issue and instead revolved around how Americans can avoid falling into the trap of blind partisanship on myriad issues.

Notably, Cuomo did not mention Hinkle’s spread of disinformation about the war or conspiracy-mongering about Jews. Since the outbreak of the war, Hinkle has ceaselessly spread blatant falsehoods about Israel, using footage from the Syrian civil war to suggest it had bombed a Gazan hospital, and falsely citing Haaretz in an effort to downplay the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7.

He has also promoted an incomprehensible conspiracy theory connecting “high chairs and stained mattresses” stored in New York City’s “secret underground synagogue tunnels” with a Reddit produced “map of registered sex offenders living in Israel,” as well as declared that “every Zionist woman” in his “DM’s [sic] is ugly as hell.”

“No wonder you all move to Israel — you are too damn ugly to find a real man to marry you, so you move to Tel Aviv,” he mused.

As CNN’s Jake Tapper pointed out on X in response to the interview, Hinkle has also denied that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons, even calling him a “hero.”

“I can’t believe Cuomo was nice to Jackson Hinkle,” remarked Cuomo in an outro responding to anticipated critics of the interview. “Listen, I invite people on my show, I give the respect that they give, okay? Do we disagree? Of course. Do we agree? Yeah, in some places. Most of all, don’t censor ideas, beat the ideas. Don’t censor people, don’t demonize people. Act in good-faith.”

In a statement to Mediaite, Cuomo defended his interview: “It is clearly untrue that I have ever, or would ever, give any deference to any kind of anti-semitism. This is another cheap hit piece. I get that some in the media want to say what can and can not be said. People can make quick work of why Hinkle has such a robust following, and how they feel about his ideas. Mediaite can try to frame me as an apologist for a bigot…but that is about their toxic agenda, not the truth.”

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