The White House and CNN have both criticized Fox News radio host Mark Levin for making derogatory comments about the Jewish heritage of two CNN anchors. Levin, who is Jewish himself, referred to Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper as “self-hating Jews” during a rant criticizing CNN’s coverage of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Andrew Bates, the deputy White House press secretary, condemned Levin’s remarks, stating that Fox News was supporting hate and paying salaries to those who promote it. Bates emphasized that insulting the pain endured by Holocaust victims has no place in America and highlighted that this is not the first time a Fox News host has made offensive remarks about the Holocaust.
Levin went on to falsely claim that Blitzer’s parents were not victims of the Holocaust, despite CNN confirming that they were impacted by Nazi concentration camps and that Blitzer’s grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.
CNN responded swiftly, denouncing Levin’s comments as ignorant, inappropriate, and disgraceful. They labeled his rhetoric as antisemitic and called for universal condemnation.
Levin, in turn, defended himself on his radio show, accusing CNN of attempting to intimidate and silence him. He accused CNN of being a pro-Hamas media outlet, and also made similar comments about MSNBC.
It is worth noting that Levin hosts a weekday radio show and a weekend television talk show on Fox News Channel. The Hill has reached out to Fox News for their comment on the matter.
