As Twitchy reported, Republicans pounced when they learned that Women’s March co-founder Linda Sarsour had been on the livestream for the DNC’s Muslims and Allies Assembly. Joe Biden’s campaign spokesman Andrew Bates later issued a statement saying that “Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns her views and opposes BDS, as does the Democratic platform.”
That led CAIR National to reply that the Biden campaign smearing their sister Sarsour was “predictable, despicable, and unacceptable.”
In a quiet third act, we’re learning that Biden’s top foreign policy adviser reached out privately to apologize to Sarsour for the “egregious misstep” of condemning her for her anti-Semitism.
And, for good measure, Biden's highest ranking foreign policy advisor, @ABlinken, apologizes to Linda Sarsour:https://t.co/W9ualpiY0X
— Mark Jacobs (@mr_markjacobs) August 24, 2020
In a private call with dozens of prominent activists on Sunday, Ashley Allison, national coalitions director for the Biden campaign, said she was “sorry” for the comments that a campaign spokesman made against Sarsour.
Top foreign policy adviser Tony Blinken also expressed “regret” over the incident during the virtual meeting.
…
Allison said she empathised with “the pain” that the campaign had caused to Arabs and Muslims by disavowing Sarsour.
“I am sorry that that happened. And I hope that whatever trust was broken, that this conversation is one small step to help build back the trust, but that is not the last time we have this conversation,” Allison told the activists.
We surprised — not surprised, actually — that Sarsour’s sisters in the squad, particularly Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, didn’t make a bigger fuss over the Biden campaign’s condemnation of Sarsour. They all support the BDS movement against Israel, and poor old Speaker Nancy Pelosi almost had to pass a resolution after Omar made several anti-Semitic comments. “I think she has a different experience in the use of words,” Pelosi said in trying to smooth things over with the press.
Not to mention that Sarsour was a total Bernie Sanders fangirl who said that Biden was going to have to “concede and negotiate on issues” if he won the nomination and wanted to win over Sanders supporters.
Anyway, why a private phone call?
Who's going to be happy with a private apology to Linda Sarsour and then a continued condemnation of her by the Biden campaign?
Those who were happy with the initial statement are angry at the backtrack. Those happy with the apology aren't happy with keeping it private. Now what?— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) August 24, 2020
It’s tricky when you’re leading a party filled with anti-Semites.
Indefensible. After publicly pretending to condemn Sarsour for her anti-Semitism, top Biden aides retract and apologize in a private call. https://t.co/yCloBHC6bt
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) August 24, 2020
If we had a semi-respectable media, they would make Biden go on the record with which position his campaign is actually taking and whether anti-Semites like Sarsour are welcome on his team…
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) August 24, 2020
Here is the statement from the campaign regarding this apology: https://t.co/EVrzIy0wfP
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) August 24, 2020
Indefensible, but completely predictable. It’s all optics with these guys, with zero principle involved. They love Sarsour; they just don’t want US to know it.
— Soli (@bl_CMC) August 24, 2020
Shocking
— Independent (@Indepen65995753) August 24, 2020
You expected a different action??
They're Democrats.
Demagoguery is how they roll.— Snake Plushkitten: Escape from Twytter (@justplncate) August 24, 2020
This is exactly my fear: Biden is too weak and will too easily succumb to the pressures from the far left of his party, and in the end we’ll be trading one kind of disaster for another kind of disaster.
— Jeff (@jeff_karr) August 24, 2020
But he’ll have “pragmatic moderate” Kamala Harris working by his side to keep things centered.
The appeasing of Islamist anti-Semitism has got to me the most bizarre thing that Dems have been doing in recent years. Is there some great caliphate in this country that has to be pandered to? There would literally be ZERO political cost in distancing themselves.
— Yahweh Tsuri(The Lord Is My Rock)??? (@Elah_Avahati) August 24, 2020
Hold up …
After this came another statement that reaffirmed that Biden condemned Sarsour's views. Are the private–but publicized—apologies "inoperative"? No, they were reaffirmed. Don't expect the media to follow up. This is, after all, Biden, not Trump. https://t.co/jVW4Fen2mr
— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) August 24, 2020
The press is going to let Biden get away with talking out of both sides of his mouth on Linda Sarsour.
— Holden (@Holden114) August 24, 2020
If the Democratic National Convention had been at all about policy, we might know where the party stands on things like BDS.
Related:
Anti-Semitic bigot defends fellow anti-Semitic bigot Linda Sarsour by suggesting that ‘the majority of the Muslim community’ are anti-Semitic bigots, too https://t.co/oWRcrbeV9c
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 21, 2020
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