This Monday afternoon, Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta debated on whether or not Democrats “hate” Jewish people.
Jim Acosta’s questions came as a follow-up to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, who inquired about the report that the President made the claim about the Dems in a speech on Friday to donors at Mar-a-Lago.
“Just to get back to [Karl] and his questions about the president’s comments about Democrats and Jewish people. Isn’t that kind of rhetoric just sort of beneath everybody?” Acosta asked.
“Do you think that the president has thought at all going into this 2020 campaign that the rhetoric just needs to be lowered, whether it’s talking about Democrats, the media, immigrants. Or should we just plan on hearing the president use the same kind of language that we heard in 2016 and all through the first couple years of his administration?” he continued.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded saying: “Look, I think that the real shame in all of this is that Democrats are perfectly capable of coming together and agreeing on the fact that they’re comfortable ripping babies straight from a mother’s womb or killing a baby after birth, but they have a hard time condemning the type of comments from Congresswoman Omar. I think that is a great shame. The president has been clear on what his position is. Certainly what his support is for the people and community of Israel.”
“You’re saying something that’s just patently untrue,” Acosta answered. “Democrats don’t hate Jewish people. That’s just silly. It’s not true.”
Sanders responded, “I think they should call out their members by name and we’ve made that clear.”
CNN’s Acosta proceeded to bring up the KKK incident in Charlottesville, Virginia from back in August of 2017.
The President’s comments during the speech in question were made in response to Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She questioned if some members of Congress have a “dual loyalty” to the United States and Israel last week, which was just one of many instances that have led some to call her anti-Semitic.
The comments sparked condemnation on both sides of the political aisle and inspired a divisive House resolution condemning all types of hate and bigotry.