Noted Antisemitism Scholar Tom Cotton Explains Antisemitism To Jake Tapper

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Trying to sanitize a white nationalist, fascist and would-be authoritarian so he can be elected again is hard. But that doesn’t mean the Republicans will finally see their error and stop doing so.

Arkansas Senator and Slender Man apprentice Tom Cotton appeared on CNN’s “State Of The Union” to try to whitewash Donald Trump’s recent overt antisemitism.

It did not go well.

TAPPER: Are you comfortable with that, with Donald Trump saying, if he loses, preemptively it's the fault of the Jews, a group already experiencing a rise of antisemitism in this country, from the left and the right, but still, preemptively, it's the fault of the Jews?

COTTON: Well Jake, Donald Trump has been saying things like this for at least 11 months since the October 7 attacks. […] The point he's been making all along is that any Jewish voter, Christian voter, any other kind of voter who cares about Israel, who cares about a relationship with Israel should not vote for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Joe Biden has not backed Israel very much over the last 11 months. Kamala Harris has been much worse. […]

TAPPER: But I'm not talking about Israel. I'm talking about American Jewish voters.

Republicans don’t often get challenged in conflating Judaism with the sovereign nation of Israel. One can criticize Israel’s actions or its leaders, like any other country, without being an antisemite. But some dispute that, be it out of ignorance or opportunism, to dispel justified criticism as bigotry. And that is how you find the caucasity of Cotton trying to explain antisemitism to Jake Tapper, who is a Jewish man.

Tapper read a statement from the American Jewish Committee warning that this type of preemptive scapegoating is what has led to historical antisemitic hate and violence. So, did Cotton condemn Trump’s statement in light of this?

COTTON: But, Jake, Donald Trump, again, has been saying for months that anyone who cares about Israel, anyone who cares about the fate of the U.S.-Israel alliance should vote for him, they shouldn't vote for Kamala Harris, because Kamala Harris has consistently been the most anti-Israel voice in this administration.

TAPPER: You keep talking about Israel. I'm talking about Jewish voters who vote for any number of reasons on any number of issues.

Nope, he just kept conflating the two to Tapper. But sensing that his argument was not effective, Cotton then tried to get kudos for Trump for his minimal effort, while trying to attack VP Harris as antisemitic. Thankfully Tapper pushed back, showed what a scumbag move this was and once again called out Cotton on his own tacit antisemitism.

COTTON: And he was at an event talking about combating antisemitism here and around the world. When was the last time Kamala Harris spoke at an event about combating antisemitism?

TAPPER: Her husband is Jewish and holds -- and is in charge of a group combating -- about combating antisemitism in the United States.

COTTON: But she's consistently been opposed to what Israel needs to win.

TAPPER: Again, I keep talking about Jewish voters in the United States and you keep talking about another country.

After Tapper again asked Cotton if he’s comfortable with Trump’s preemptive blaming of Jews if he loses, Cotton kept digging the hole:

COTTON: The point he is making is that anyone that cares about that relationship shouldn't vote for Kamala Harris. […] he's been saying things like this […] The only reason the Democrats have latched onto it is now is polls show he is winning a record number of Jewish voters.

TAPPER: No, no, no, this is the first time I've -- he has ever said: If I lose, it will be the fault of Jews. This is -- believe me, I happen to have a pretty good ear for when people say things like this. And that's the first time he's ever said that. Just yes or no, are you comfortable with him using that language?

COTTON: Jake, it's the same kind of language he's been using for months.

TAPPER: That doesn't mean it's OK.

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You hear this argument invoked often by Republicans to excuse Trump’s insanity and bigotry. Whether it’s about immigrants or LGBTQ people or just Democrats in general, Republicans often trot out “he’s been saying this for years” or “This isn’t the first time he’s said something like this,” as if that is some shield, instead of proof their Party’s decline.

Cotton tried one last move to clean up after Trump, and got called out on it by Tapper.

COTTON: Jake, he's the most pro-Israel president we have ever had. He has Jewish grandchildren. […]

TAPPER: Kamala Harris has a Jewish husband. That doesn't mean anything to you.

COTTON: Of course -- well, it means something to you, because you brought it up.

TAPPER: Because you were talking about antisemitism and he's in charge of the group combating antisemitism.

“I can’t be a bigot because I have a [blank] spouse/kids/grandkids/friend/etc.” is such a tired trope, even The Washington Post mocked it.

It was notable that Cotton didn’t try so hard to defend antisemitism when Tapper asked about an even more overt and toxic bigot: embattled North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson.

TAPPER: On his own Facebook under his own name -- the movie "Black Panther," created -- a character created by two Jewish comic book writers -- was -- quote -- "created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets by Jews."[…] in the last week, we have heard that he actually was […] calling himself a black Nazi, praising "Mein Kampf," saying that Adolf Hitler would have been better than Barack Obama. […] Do you like him? You think he should be the next governor of North Carolina?

COTTON: Look, I have seen these allegations, Jake, and they're concerning allegations. […] He owes the people of North Carolina more answers about it.

Cotton’s reply was the equivalent of “I’ll shut the fuck up now,” and he should do that more often.

Have a week.

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