The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) released the following statement:
It is deeply disturbing that President Biden has hired yet another Israel-hater in his Administration, choosing Karine Jean-Pierre to serve as White House press secretary after Jen Psaki leaves next week. Virtually every Biden appointment that affects Israel is someone hostile to Israel. In an era of a frightening surge in irrational hatred and attacks against Jews and Israel, Biden’s horrific appointment will inspire more antisemitism, Israel-bashing and violence against Jews. Why are the other Jewish leaders and groups displaying a deafening silence on this frightening antisemitic appointment, as they have on Biden’s endless group of appointments hostile to Israel?
Jean-Pierre’s extreme record of antisemitic, Israel-hating and America-harming activism includes: falsely and absurdly accusing opponents of the disastrous Iran deal of supporting anti-Muslim racism; falsely condemning Israel for defending her citizens from an invasion of murderous Hamas and PIJ terrorists, by promoting a blood libel that “Israel may have committed war crimes in its attacks on Gazan protesters”; serving as spokesperson and senior advisor for far-left, Israel-boycotting, George Soros-supported Moveon.org; bragging in a Newsweek op-ed about helping to orchestrate the Democratic presidential candidates’ boycott of the 2020 AIPAC national policy convention (despite AIPAC’s left-leaning views on Israel’s rightful sovereignty in Judea/Samaria); falsely accusing AIPAC of “trafficking in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric while lifting up Islamophobic voices and attitudes”; and condemning speakers who correctly criticize the antisemitic Israelophobic “Squad” (Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, etc.).
Biden previously appointed Jean-Pierre as White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, after ZOA and other pro-Israel advocates strongly objected to Israelophobe Jean-Pierre being considered for the top press secretary position. (See “ZOA’s Klein JNS Op-Ed—Top Contender for Biden’s Press Secretary is a Jew-Hating Israelophobe,” Nov. 23, 2020.) ZOA also objected to Kamala Harris’ prior appointment of Jean-Pierre. (See “ZOA to Sen. K. Harris: Fire Your Israel-Hating COS Karine Jean-Pierre, Fmr. Advisor for Soros-Funded MoveOn.org,” Aug. 19, 2020.)
Biden’s elevation of Karine Jean-Pierre to the top press secretary spot now demonstrates a total disregard for Jewish Americans and all Americans concerned about the safety of America and Israel and the dangers of Iran.
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein stated:
“As a child of Holocaust survivors and as an American Jew, I am appalled and frightened that Biden has chosen Ms. Jean-Pierre, who has shown essentially antisemitic hostility toward Israel and is willing to lie about and vilify Israel and Jews to promote her ugly Israelophobic agenda. Americans should be deeply concerned that this outrageous, incomprehensible anti-Israel, pro-terrorist and pro-Iran appointment indicates the dangerous direction the Biden administration is going to take against America’s greatest ally Israel and U.S.-Israel relations.” (Also see Mr. Klein’s and other Jewish leaders’ comments condemning the appointment in “Biden Taps Anti-Israel Activist, CNN Spouse as White House Press Sec,” The Free Beacon, May 5, 2022.)
In addition, Karine Jean-Pierre is married to CNN national correspondent and anchor Suzanne Malveaux, raising serious questions about the ethical impropriety of placing Jean-Pierre in the press secretary post. (This compounds other ethical issues regarding a CNN-Biden administration relationship. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides – who reprehensibly attacks Jews for building homes in the eternal, legal Jewish homelands of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria – is married to CNN’s president of news gathering Virginia Moseley.)