Top Democrat Slams Anti-Semitic Protest Outside House Judiciary Hearing: ‘Republicans Bringing This’ To NYC
AP Photo/John Minchillo
Top House Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) tore into his Republican colleagues and Fox News on Monday for pushing “anti-Semitic tropes” about Jewish billionaire George Soros, which resulted in an anti-Semitic protest outside the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing in New York City.
Nadler, the ranking member on the committee, tweeted an image of a protester outside Monday’s hearing holding up a sign that read “Soros” and had a Star of David and two dollar signs on it.
“With antisemitic tropes emanating from House Republicans, it’s unsurprising, but no less vile, to see the Republicans bringing this antisemitism to New York outside today’s Stunt Hearing in Manhattan,” Nadler wrote on Twitter above the image.
Nadler also shared a segment from Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show from late March and noted, “Republican Members at today’s hearing like @RepMattGaetz have called Trump’s indictment the ‘Sorosification of the criminal justice system.’”
He continued the thread by sharing a tweet from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) sharing a similar message. Nadler captioned the tweet, “@EliseStefanik, the House GOP’s 3rd in command who also came to today’s hearing, has called DA Bragg “Soros-backed.” This is who the Republicans are sending to represent them at their taxpayer-funded stunt hearing.”
Soros has long been at the center of right-wing attacks that not only call out the billionaire’s funding of progressive and Democratic candidates, but that dog whistle at historic anti-Semitic tropes alleging Jewish control institutions. Many critics have slammed those on the right who regularly refer to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as “Soros-backed” given that Soros indirectly contributed to Bragg’s election campaign.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) brought up the topic during the hearing itself.
“Can I just reclaim my time because I only have 20 seconds and I want to mention that when I was walking in here today, there was a man outside with a sign, and I would just like to hold this sign up. You saw it, right? There’s a star of David with two dollar signs and Soros. Would you say that’s anti-Semitic?” Goldman asked a witness at the hearing named Barry Borgen, the father of a victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime.
“That’s 100% anti-Semitic and it is disgusting, it’s disgusting,” replied Borgen.
“Right. I yield back my time,” Goldman concluded.
