Thread by @RightWingWatch

Time for a thread about anti-Semitism, the Trump White House, and Christian media

The Christian Broadcasting Network is promoting an interview with Mike Pence in which the VP denounces anti-Semitic rhetoric, which he claims has been heard “in the halls of Congress” and “has not been roundly and universally condemned, as it should be.” www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politi…

“For people to traffic in anti-Semitic slurs and tropes and not be held to account for that, it’s just not acceptable,” Pence told CBN, calling for "constant vigilance" against the danger "allowing anti-Semitic rhetoric, let alone violence, to take place in our society”

Anti-Semitism must be opposed. But here’s the thing: Pence works in the White House, and as RWW has repeatedly pointed out, the White House regularly gives media credentials to Rick Wiles and TruNews, which spout the most vile anti-Semitism imaginable rightwingwatch.org/post/anti-semi…

And we do mean vile. In November, Wiles denounced the impeachment process as a “Jew coup” and complained that “seditious Jews” were orchestrating an “impeachment lynching” rightwingwatch.org/post/jew-coup-…

There’s nothing subtle about Wiles’ anti-Semitism, no debate to be had about his intentions, the way one might question how the charge of anti-Semitism can be used as a rhetorical weapon against critics of the Israeli government’s policies.

“That’s the way Jews work. They are deceivers, they plot, they lie, they do whatever they have to do to accomplish their political agenda,” Wiles told his followers during his “Jew coup” broadcast.

Wiles warned that anti-Trump Jews will go after Christians: “The church of Jesus Christ, you’re next. Get it through your head! They’re coming for you. There will be a purge. That’s the next thing that happens when Jews take over a country, they kill millions of Christians.”

Last year Wiles told viewers the movie “The Hunt” was a warning that “elite, rich Jews who hate Christians” are getting ready to murder conservative Christians. rightwingwatch.org/post/rick-wile…

TruNews is a bottomless cesspool of dangerous anti-Semitic rhetoric and extreme conspiracy-theory fearmongering, which is why RWW has repeatedly asked why the White House continues to give Wiles and TruNews credibility by inviting them to cover Trump at prestige events.

In the face of Wiles’ most recent virulent anti-Semitism, the White House invited TruNews to Davos this month, where Wiles declared that the Antichrist will be Jewish.

https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1220367825560358912?s=20

In September, Wiles publicly thanked the White House for inviting TruNews to cover Trump’s trip to the United Nations and said we “don’t have the funding and manpower to go to every single event that the White House invites us to.” rightwingwatch.org/post/anti-semi…

TruNews returned the favor by lobbing Trump a softball question about the “great peace deal” he had in the works in the Middle East. gizmodo.com/trump-takes-qu…

After Right Wing Watch called attention to Wiles’ appearance in Davos, journalist Jake Tapper confirmed that the White House had credentialed TruNews and said the White House Correspondents’ Association would be “raising this issue with the White House.”

https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1220082210356834310

On Friday, CBN’s David Brody helped the White House spin operation do a little damage control, tweeting that a “Senior Administration Official” told him TruNews never got a “hard pass” and hadn’t been on White House property in a year. And?

Brody didn’t address the fact that the White House had credentialed Wiles to cover Davos, or the UN General Assembly, or that Trump has called on TruNews “reporters.”

https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1220716569027805184?s=20

Apparently Mike Pence’s call for “constant vigilance” against anti-Semitic rhetoric doesn’t apply in the case of Trump-supporting TruNews.

CBN isn’t alone in treating Rick Wiles gingerly. Last month Charisma gave Wiles space to reply to a Christian writer who criticized his “Jew coup” comments; Charisma declared that they “respect Rick Wiles” as a Christian leader.

https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1206591826154737664

As RWW noted, Charisma did not state what it respects about Wiles.

Could it be Wiles’ warning that “leftist mobs” could soon be executing Christians, or his recent claim that Democrats are “forcing” him to stockpile ammunition in preparation for “a violent” civil war between the “pagan left” and “religious right”? rightwingwatch.org/post/rick-wile…

Or maybe Charisma likes the dominionist sound of Wiles saying that Christians are standing up to Jews who imposed their values on the U.S. and declaring, “we are going to impose Christian rule in this country.” rightwingwatch.org/post/rick-wile…

Maybe Charisma’s Steven Strang could explain it to David Brody.