Democratic lawmaker challenges Karine Jean-Pierre for ‘weak answer’ on rising antisemitism

The ADL reported over 100 antisemitic incidents in the United States since October 7

White House says it will be clear on denouncing antisemitism

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the president will speak out against antisemitism.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., called out White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over her "weak answer" to a rise in antisemitism in the United States amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On Monday, Jean-Pierre said she had not seen any "credible threats" when asked about the Biden administration's "level of concern" regarding potential attacks on Jewish Americans.

"Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks and certainly President Biden understands that many of our Muslim, Arab-American and Palestinian-American loved ones and neighbors are worried about the hate being directed at their communities," she added.

Moskowitz would later criticize her comments on X.

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  • democratic lawmaker challenges karine jean pierre for weak answer on rising antisemitism

    White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 5, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

  • democratic lawmaker challenges karine jean pierre for weak answer on rising antisemitism

    Rep. Jared Moskowitz attacked the mainstream media for pushing a Hamas-backed account of a hospital explosion as true. (NBC)

  • democratic lawmaker challenges karine jean pierre for weak answer on rising antisemitism

    White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 25, 2023. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

"What a weak answer," he said. "And why are you looking in the book? What's the approved answer? The simple answer is yes, you are concerned about the rise of antisemitism. Of course, we are also worried about hatred against Muslim Americans. Must do better."

After backlash, Jean-Pierre would later clarify her comments made during the White House press briefing.

"To be clear: the President and our team are very concerned about a rise in antisemitism, especially after the horrific Hamas terrorist attack in Israel," she wrote.

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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has been tracking instances of antisemitism in the U.S. since 1979, reported over 100 antisemitic incidents in the United States since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas.

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Hate crimes data released on October 16 by the FBI shows that reported hate crime incidents in 2022 rose to 11,634, the highest number ever recorded since the FBI started tracking such data in 1991. The country's reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crime incidents sharply rose by more than 37%, reaching 1,122 incidents, the highest number recorded in almost three decades and the second-highest number on record.

Earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested there could be an increase in domestic threat reports as a result of the ongoing conflict in Israel.

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Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Nikolas Lanum via FoxNews October 24th 2023