White House Criticizes Fox News Host for Holocaust Doubt
The White House has once again criticized a Fox News Channel host for questioning the remembrance of the Holocaust. Mark Levin, a Fox News host and host of his own radio show, took aim at CNN personalities for their comments about Israel’s strike on a Hamas target. In response, White House spokesman Andrew Bates condemned Levin’s remarks and accused Fox News of aligning with hate. The Biden administration has rarely criticized the media in such a manner.
Levin ridiculed CNN’s Wolf Blitzer for his question about the civilian casualties caused by Israel’s strikes. Blitzer, whose parents survived Auschwitz, asked if the deaths of civilians were worth the elimination of Hamas leaders. Levin suggested that Blitzer’s question betrayed ignorance of the Holocaust, despite Blitzer’s personal connection to it.
In a statement emailed to reporters, Bates condemned Levin’s comments as lying to insult the pain suffered by families in the Holocaust. He emphasized that such rhetoric has no place in America and accused Fox News of paying the salaries of those who fan the flames of hate. Bates previously criticized Fox News host Greg Gutfeld for suggesting that being useful helped Jewish survivors during the Holocaust.
Levin, who is Jewish himself, also made controversial remarks about other CNN hosts, calling them self-hating Jews and propagandists for the enemy. He accused CNN of having a lot of self-hating Jews, which drew accusations of antisemitism from the network.
CNN responded sharply to Levin’s comments, calling them wildly uninformed, inappropriate, and shameful. They highlighted Blitzer’s personal connection to the Holocaust and his efforts in educating and raising awareness about it.
Levin later addressed the criticism in a subsequent broadcast, acknowledging that he spread a falsehood about Blitzer’s parents. He claimed that he barely remembered making the comments and questioned why he would intentionally say something about Blitzer’s parents not being victims of the Holocaust. Levin later admitted that Blitzer’s parents were indeed Holocaust survivors.
The controversy illustrates the ongoing tensions between Fox News and CNN, with accusations of hate speech and antisemitism flying between the two networks. It also raises questions about the responsibility of media organizations in promoting accurate and sensitive discussions about historically significant events.
