NRA Tweets 'anti-Semitic' Meme That Top Republican Congressman Previously Deleted

The National Rifle Association tweeted that three prominent liberal Jewish billionaires are pushing “their elitist agenda on Americans.”

The tweet came three days after a shooter killed 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue. In the responses, a number of readers charged that the tweet fed into far-right notions of a Jewish conspiracy, as critics alsonoted in February when NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre gave a speech accusing the same three men — George Soros, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg — of promoting “socialism” and “social engineering.”

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the House majority leader, accused the same three billionaires of buying the election for Democrats in a tweet that he later deleted. Steyer, whose father was Jewish, called McCarthy’s tweet a “a straight-up anti-Semitic move.”

“Another billionaire is pumping unlimited money into electing anti-gun lawmakers,” Tuesday’s tweet read. “Notorious anti-gunner George Soros joins anti-gun billionaires Steyer and Bloomberg. There is no end to how much they’ll pay to push their elitist agenda on Americans.”

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The tweet linked to a CNBC article about Soros donating to liberal candidates ahead of the midterm elections. Soros, a Holocaust survivor and philanthropist who funds liberal and pro-democracy causes, has been a frequent target of the far right in the United States and abroad who often invoke anti-Semitic tropes to exaggerate his influence in politics and economic affairs. A Florida man is allegedly behind a pipe bomb sent to Soros’ house.

Republicans, including U.S. President Donald Trump, have also criticized Soros for funding left-wing causes.

Michael Bloomberg, a former New York mayor, has funded a variety of liberal causes, and Steyer is a prominent liberal donor from California.

Steyer celebrated in mid-October that his group to impeach President Trump had surpassed the NRA in its membership numbers.

“This online community is bigger than the NRA,” Need to Impeach founder Steyer announced at a town hall in Newark, New Jersey, on the campaign’s first birthday - October 20th.

According to Newsweek, Steyers organization had suprassed six million signatories while the NRA boasts some 5.5 million members.