Trump Adviser: There's No anti-Semitic Sentiment Among Trump Supporters
Rejecting ADL study that shows Trump supporters behind most of online abuse of Jewish journalists, David Friedman says danger to Jews in U.S. is on the left, not on the right.
Donald Trump's adviser David Friedman said Tuesday that there was no anti-Semitic sentiment among the Republican candidate's supporters, days after a study by the Anti-Defamation League credited them with the lion's share of anti-Semitic abuse of journalists on Twitter.
Trump's campaign has been dogged with accusations of anti-Semitism, with some saying that he has created a "safe space" for anti-Jewish bigotry. In an interview on Channel 2, Friedman, who advises Trump on Israel, denied the accusations. "There is anti-Semitic sentiment among Clinton's supporters," he said.
"The danger in the U.S. is on the left, not on the right," Friedman said. "I'm not saying that there aren't neo-Nazis floating around in the United States, because I'm sure there are. But the movement we ought to be concerned about is on the left."
In its study, the ADL noted that while much of the online harassment of journalists was sent anonymously, it originated with a number of overlapping online communities associated with the alt-right and white nationalist movements. It also identified two neo-Nazis and vocal Trump supporters responsible for some of the attacks: Andrew Anglin, founder of the white supremacist website “The Daily Stormer,” and Lee Rogers of Infostormer (formerly The Daily Slave).
Asked about the ADL study, Friedman answered that he couldn't respond as to particular cases of harassment of journalists, but added that the ADL has lost its credibility because it was headed by a "J Street advocate."
Jonathan Greenblatt, who has been the CEO of the ADL since 2015, has never worked for J Street, but his decision to address student supporters of the liberal Jewish group has been criticized by some.
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