NEWS PROVIDED BY
Catholic League
March 8, 2019

NEW YORK, March 8, 2019 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a House vote on bigotry:

After bickering back and forth all week about whether to condemn anti-Semitism, the Democrats in the House, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, have descended to tribalism, the hallmark of identity politics. Just about every "persecuted minority" was thrown a bone, though somehow the South Sea Islanders were overlooked.

Much of the resolution focuses on the reason why this issue has emerged: the anti-Semitic remarks made by Rep. Ilhan Omar (though she is not mentioned by name). But the lobbying to include equal time condemning anti-Muslim bigotry paid off, thus undercutting the purpose of the resolution.

Though Pelosi is politically savvy, she is not known for her intellect. She proved this again with her remarkable statement defending Omar.

"I don't think the congresswoman perhaps doesn't appreciate how it was heard by other people although I don't believe it was intended as anti-Semitic although that's how it was interpreted." What a wordsmith!

In fact, Omar meant exactly what she said. This is why she stepped on the gas after being criticized for her previous recent remarks. Indeed, the occasion for the resolution was her quip about Jews pledging their allegiance to Israel over America.

The larger point is this: If bigoted hate speech now depends on how it is interpreted, or heard by others, then it is non-existent. Just ask the bigot's followers. If their hero puts a swastika on a synagogue, they can say they interpret that as a love letter. Since truth is a fiction—another gift from the Left—then bigotry is purely in the eye of the beholder.

Catholics will love to know what the resolution says about anti-Catholicism. There is one section about charges of dual loyalty, which include when the "loyalty of President John F. Kennedy was questioned because of his Catholic faith." That's it. It's also inaccurate. The anti-Catholicism that JFK experienced did not occur when he was president: it occurred when he was running for president, in an attempt to stop him.

There is nothing in the resolution about what we detailed yesterday, namely the anti-Catholic comments made by Democrats. When they question Catholic candidates for the federal bench, their bigotry shines brightly. We cited five sitting Senators—Schumer, Durbin, Feinstein, Hirono, and Harris (the latter is running for president).

This vote is a sham.

Contact Pelosi's chief of staff: robert.edmonson@mail.house.gov.