Mitch Perry
White House press secretary Sean Spicer was under fire from Democrats on Tuesday after claiming that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons, seemingly minimizing the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Spicer’s comments lit up Twitter and there have been harsh reactions from Democrats and Jewish groups, expressing amazement that the spokesman would downplay Hitler’s actions by comparing them to the chemical gas attacks allegedly called for by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week.
“We didn’t use chemical weapons in World War II,” Spicer told reporters at the afternoon’s press briefing, adding, “someone who is despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons. You have to, if you’re Russia, ask yourself, is this a country that you, and a regime that you want to align yourself with?”
Later asked to clarify his remarks, Spicer acknowledged that Hitler used chemical agents, but maintained that there was a difference.
“I think when you come to sarin gas, he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing,” Mr. Spicer said, and mentioned “Holocaust centers,” apparently referring to Nazi death camps.
South Florida Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz said it was time for Spicer to take some time off and perhaps visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington.
“Contrary to White House spokesman Sean Spicer’s ignorant and offensive remarks, Hitler did use chemical weapons to systematically murder millions of Jews,” she said in a statement. “It’s stunning and unbelievable that this basic fact eludes the White House, and worse, that these latest comments fall within a troubling pattern of Holocaust apathy and denial by the Trump Administration. The fact that we are having to provide this history lesson during the Jewish holiday of Passover is especially disgraceful. At the very least, Mr. Spicer should take some time off and visit the Holocaust Museum, or he’s more than welcome to visit my district and hear first-hand accounts of this atrocity from any of the thousands of survivors who live in my community.”
Boca Raton Democrat Ted Deutch also weighed in, calling Spicer’s comments offensive.
“Sean Spicer’s ignorant, offensive, and outrageously false statements claiming Hitler never used gas to kill his own people show either a stunning ignorance of history or a callous disregard of the horrors of the Holocaust,” said Deutch. “I frankly can’t understand why, when pressed about his offensive comments about the Holocaust, he simply cannot apologize without trying to justify what he said.”
The South Florida Democrats reactions didn’t go as far as some other Democrats, such as Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who said Spicer should resign after his performance on Tuesday.
.@realDonaldTrump, it’s time to fire @PressSec Sean Spicer. https://t.co/35sTqfkp1d pic.twitter.com/Lw73GVtKDh
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 11, 2017
“Sean Spicer must be fire, and the President must immediate disavow his spokesman’s statements,” Pelosi said. “Either he is speaking for the President, or the President should have known better than to hire him.”
“Today’s @PressSec statements on Holocaust unforgivable, tweeted Jeremy Ben-Ami with J-Street, the progressive “pro-Israel, pro-peace” political action committee. “WH must address its issues recognizing Jewish suffering at Hitler’s hands in WWII.”
Today's @PressSec statements on Holocaust unforgivable. WH must address its issues recognizing Jewish suffering at Hitler's hands in WWII.
— Jeremy Ben-Ami (@JeremyBenAmi) April 11, 2017
