President Trump said Friday that a House vote on anti-Semitism showed that Democrats are “anti-Jewish.”
“I thought yesterday’s vote by the House was disgraceful because it’s become, the Democrats have become an anti-Israel party, they’ve become an anti-Jewish party,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “And I thought that vote was a disgrace, and so does everybody else if you get an honest answer.”
The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday condemning anti-Semitic comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of a broader resolution renouncing bigotry in all forms, including Islamophobia and white nationalism. The vote was 407-23, with the “no” votes coming from Republicans.
Democrats wrangled behind closed doors over the wording of the resolution, which did not mention Ms. Omar by name. She and her allies broadened the measure to include Islamophobia and other hate rhetoric beyond anti-Semitism.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America, formed in 2017, blasted Mr. Trump’s comments.
“We are appalled, but not surprised, that President Trump has once again demonstrated dishonesty, hypocrisy, and willingness to use anti-Semitism and Israel as a political football,” Executive Director Halie Soifer said in a statement. “The president’s own words have fueled the fire of intolerance and targeting of Jews, and Republicans have failed to condemn the president’s remarks in the same way that Democrats were quick to rebuke Representative Omar.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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