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Fox apologizes after Gohmert questions whether Soros is really Jewish

The Texas Republican is randomly spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality.

Louie Gohmert on Capitol Hill on February 27, 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Louie Gohmert on Capitol Hill on February 27, 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) carved time out of a Fox Business interview on Thursday to randomly attack George Soros with anti-Semitic remarks.

In a conversation with Fox’s Stuart Varney that had absolutely nothing to do with Soros, the Texas Republican took a passing mention of George Orwell as an opportunity to discuss the billionaire philanthropist and political donor who shares a first name.

“George Soros is supposed to be Jewish, but you wouldn’t know it from the damage he’s inflicted on Israel, and the fact that he turned on fellow Jews and helped take the property that they owned,” Gohmert said as the Fox host desperately tried to interject.

Though it isn’t entirely clear what the Texas Republican was referring to, Gohmert was likely “referencing a false claim that the Hungarian-born Soros helped the Nazis confiscate property from Jews during World War II,” per the Washington Post.

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An hour later, Varney apologized for Gohmert’s anti-Semitic remarks, noting that the Republican congressman “for some reason went out of his way to bring up George Soros and made unsubstantiated and false allegations against him.”

In mid-October, Gohmert went on Fox News and baselessly claimed that Soros “may be funding” a migrant caravan that Donald Trump and congressional Republicans used to stoke the anti-immigrant resentment shortly before last month’s midterm elections. The philanthropist and conservative boogeyman was sent explosive devices by a Trump supporter days later.

Trump also amplified the absurd caravan conspiracy theory about Soros.

Gohmert recently secured an eighth term in the House with a 46-point win in Texas’ 1st congressional district.


UPDATE: Gohmert is doubling down after Fox apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks, falsely claiming that Soros himself has admitted to the baseless conspiracy theory.

In a press release, Gohmert linked to this 60 Minutes segment from 1998 as justification for his offensive comments.

However, it doesn’t appear as though Gohmert or his staff actually watched the segment before sharing it, as Soros explained to CBS’ Steve Kroft that his father forced the 14-year-old to pretend to be Christian in order to avoid persecution for being Jewish by Nazis in Germany during World War II.