White House denounces Fox News after host targets CNN anchors' Jewish background
The White House criticizes Fox News for promoting hate speech after a host targeted the Jewish heritage of CNN anchors over their coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict
The White House condemned Fox News on Friday, criticizing the right-wing network for defending hate and making derogatory remarks about the Jewish heritage of two CNN anchors who reported on the Israel-Hamas war. Andrew Bates, the deputy White House press secretary, issued a scathing statement, accusing Fox News of not only supporting those who promote hate but also financially rewarding them. This is the second instance this week where the Biden administration has publicly criticized the network for its hosts' offensive comments.
The rebuke was a response to Mark Levin, a right-wing talk personality and Fox News weekend host, who criticized CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper on Thursday during his nationally syndicated radio show.
Levin made false claims that Blitzers parents were not affected by the Holocaust in any way. However, in reality, Blitzers parents were survivors of Nazi-era concentration camps, and all four of his grandparents were killed during the Holocaust. Levin also alleged that CNN was "filled with a lot of self-hating Jews."
Levin also criticized Tapper, labeling him a "self-hating Jew" and asserting that he is a "propagandist for the enemy." CNN swiftly condemned these remarks on Thursday night, deeming them "grossly misinformed, inappropriate, and disgraceful." The network further emphasized that Levin's antisemitic language is both hazardous and offensive, calling for widespread denunciation.
The White House condemned Fox News on Friday, stating that lying to belittle the suffering of Holocaust victims has no place in America. Press Secretary Bates emphasized that this was not the first instance of a Fox News host making appalling remarks about the Holocaust in recent months.
Furthermore, this week has seen yet another instance where a Fox host has misused their position and propagated hate," Bates remarked, alluding to Islamophobic statements made by Jesse Watters, a prime time host, regarding Arab Americans and the Muslim community as a whole.
"Despite the tragic loss of a 6-year-old Palestinian American child and the alarming rise in acts of violence against Muslims and Arab Americans, Jesse Watters, just two nights ago, resorted to despicable remarks that undermine the integrity of all Americans. He declared his disdain for Arab Americans and Muslims," Bates further emphasized.
A Fox News spokesperson did not immediately have a comment.
But Levin stood by his comments Thursday night while responding to CNNs condemnation of his remarks.
Levin expressed his disdain for these individuals and suggested others should feel the same way, attributing it to what he referred to as his antisemitic rhetoric. He further asserted that CNN is highly supportive of Hamas, which contradicts the network's previous descriptions of Hamas as a terrorist organization and their extensive coverage of the recent attack on Israel conducted by the group.
Levin also criticized CNN anchor Poppy Harlow, accusing her of "supporting Hamas" by questioning Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin about the potential implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire.
Recently, the White House has taken a confrontational approach towards Fox News, specifically addressing the extremist statements made by the network's hosts.
The White House condemned the Holocaust remarks made by host Greg Gutfeld in July, categorizing them as a "horrid, dangerous, and extreme lie" that disrespects the memory of the millions who suffered under Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. Additionally, the White House denounced recent comments made by Watters, which Fox News has chosen not to address.
