Frankel calls Trump tweets racist, invocation of Judaism ‘insulting’

Says president’s subsequent statements show a ‘fundamental misunderstanding’ of Jewish history, tradition

Rep. Dan B. Frankel    July 16, 2019 | 12:36 PM

PITTSBURGH, July 16 – State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, today condemned President Donald Trump’s recent tweets about four U.S. representatives, and denounced Trump’s defense of those remarks during which the president claimed the congresswomen hate Israel and are anti-Semitic.

Frankel’s full statement follows:

“Those of us who disagree with some of the congresswomen’s statements and positions on Israel must be clear and explicit that we will not allow our views to be co-opted by forces that seek to diminish the humanity of ethnic or racial minorities or stamp out ideological diversity.

“President Trump’s repeated use of the Jewish people as a shield for himself or cudgel with which to silence or divide people shows his fundamental misunderstanding of our history and our tradition: Our Jewish heritage guides us to stand with the vulnerable, call out injustice and refuse to accept the normalization of hateful speech.

“Trump’s racist comments about four congresswomen of color are reprehensible and damaging to our democracy. His attempt to use Judaism to inflict suffering on the world is an insult to me, my community and decent people everywhere.”

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