Conservatives: Please Stop Echoing Anti-Semitic Tropes to Criticize the Biden Administration

It may not be widely known, but White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is Jewish. And like all chiefs of staff, he plays a pivotal role in managing the ins and outs of the Biden White House. And because President Joe Biden’s mental acuity is so commonly called into question by conservative critics, Klain is often pinpointed as the official managing his administration.

Yet the portrayal of Klain as a “puppet master,” as is frequently done, echoes an ugly anti-Semitic trope that goes back ages.

Fox News host Sean Hannity echoed this idea on Monday night while slamming Klain. Whether or not it was intentional, the use of such language has become all too commonplace among the Republican Party and should be brought to an end.

During Hannity, the host lamented the rise in inflation and the supply chain crisis. He went on to label Klain “the Great Puppeteer,” echoing the anti-Semitic trope of Jewish control of institutions including the government.

“According to Biden, the ‘Great Puppeteer’ Ron Klain, it’s a high-class problem that we don’t need to worry about,” said Hannity, referring to Klain endorsing a tweet stating that current economic problems are “high-class problems.”

There is ample evidence that Hannity is far from an anti-Semite, so it’s entirely reasonable to accept he had no idea that Klain is Jewish, nor that the nasty history of this particular rhetorical flourish.

In a statement to Mediaite on Tuesday, Hannity forcefully rejected the idea that his comment was anti-Semitic:

First of all, I have never in my life heard this was a trope. Number two, I have no idea what Ron Klain’s faith is. Number three, nobody in cable news today has been more pro-Israel than me. I am friends with former Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, as well as the late Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Ariel Sharon. I have traveled to Israel numerous times over the years, been inside the tunnels in Gaza, broadcasted live from border cities in the middle of conflict, I have taken two trips to the Old City, and I’ve showed the world the massive security concerns involving the tiny country of Israel which I believe is the greatest ally to the United States. Nobody is more passionate about Israel than me. Any suggestion to the contrary is an absolutely horrific lie and completely slanderous. Instead of attacking the single most outspoken pro-Israel host in the country, the media mob should join me in condemning the virulent anti-Semitism of some Democratic House members. My point was that President Joe Biden is not calling the shots at the White House. This is just predictable laziness of the left-wing media.

While Hannity’s steadfast support for Israel is welcome, it does not give someone a pass for engaging in anti-Semitic tropes, regardless of intention.

Additionally, anti-Semitism must be unequivocally called out in all its forms, whether it’s on the far-left, the far-right, radical Islam and other sources. To only be vigilant about anti-Semitism from a select few House Democrats, including “The Squad,” allows these tropes to propagate on the right.

I can only hope that, despite Hannity’s statement, he retires the trope from his commentary.

He isn’t alone. Republican lawmakers have used similar language in describing Klain’s influence in the Biden White House.

“We’ve gotten the impression from our members that have been in meetings down there that he’s kind of the guy behind the curtain,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) earlier this year. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made a similar comment about Klain controlling the administration behind the scenes.

In doing so, critics of Biden veer into echoing anti-Semitic tropes, like in the case of Hannity Monday night. It was not the first time that Hannity called Klain a “puppeteer” — he did so on Oct. 14. It’s also not the first time a Fox host has referred to a Jewish person as a puppet master — Raymond Arroyo did so in reference to Mike Bloomberg last year.

And while they may not even notice it and are not anti-Semitic, this column should serve as a friendly reminder that they should be aware of how damaging that language is to myself and my peers in the Jewish community. “Klain” is a common Jewish last name.

Kosher ways to characterize Klain would be “Biden’s brain,” “power player,” and “highly influential.” These sentiments describe Klain’s stature as someone whose input is highly valuable to Biden. That is different than suggesting that Klain controls Biden per se. It is one thing to be influential, it is another to have control. Republicans would be wise to factor that into their criticism of the administration.

Watch above, via Fox News.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.