Sean Spicer Under Fire for Claiming Hitler Did Not Gas His Own People
Hitler ‘Didn’t Even Sink to Using Chemical Weapons’ Said Spicer, Falsely
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is under fire once again, this time for appearing to deny Hitler’s gassing of his own people.
Here’s the moment.
Spicer: “You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” —via @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/512wfBOoq5
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 11, 2017
“We didn’t use chemical weapons in World War II,” Spicer told reporters at Tuesday’s daily press briefing. “You know, you had a, you know, someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons,” he continued, as the Washington Post’s Jenna Johnson reports.
Sean Spicer seems to refer to concentration camps as “Holocaust centers” while clarifying Hitler “didn’t use chemical weapons” remark. pic.twitter.com/EYXygEsu7A
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 11, 2017
“So you have to if you’re Russia, ask yourself: Is this a country that you, and a regime, that you want to align yourself with? You have previously signed onto international agreements, rightfully acknowledging that the use of chemical weapons should be out of bounds by every country.”
Spicer was offered the chance to clarify or change his remarks by reporters, but seemed only to make it worse, telling the press corps Hitler brought Jews “into the Holocaust center,” but he “was not using the gas on his own people in the same way that Assad is doing.”
Press Sec. on Hitler/Assad comments: “He was not using the gas on his own people the same way…he brought them into the Holocaust centers.” pic.twitter.com/mO9EsWM4QT
— ABC News (@ABC) April 11, 2017
Asked later in the briefing if he again would like to clarify, Spicer said, “I think when you come to sarin gas, there was no — he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing. I mean, there was clearly, I understand your point, thank you. Thank you, I appreciate that. There was not in the, he brought them into the Holocaust center, I understand that. What I am saying in the way that Assad used them, where he went into towns, dropped them down to innocent, into the middle of towns, it was brought — so the use of it. And I appreciate the clarification there. That was not the intent.”
Spicer, just after 3 PM, via a White House pool reporter, issued this statement:
“In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust. I was trying to draw a distinction of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on population centers. Any attack on innocent people is reprehensible and inexcusable.”
On social media, the outrage was immediate. Some are accusing Spicer of Holocaust denialism, others remember similar issues the Trump White House has had around the Holocaust, and still others think Spicer is “ignorant,” and some believe he should be fired:
I know he is probably just extraordinarily ignorant, but it is worth acknowledging that Sean Spicer sounds like a Holocaust denier.
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) April 11, 2017
chyron operator, Tuesday 9 AM: I’ve had some bad days in this job but I’ve never had to write “(Hitler Gassed Millions)” on screen
2:20 PM: pic.twitter.com/hE4gP5vzlT
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) April 11, 2017
15 tries later: “Let’s agree that Assad is a bad person and the Holocaust is an event that almost certainly, probably, happened” https://t.co/7ZCAql6Tyb
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) April 11, 2017
OMFG. Sean Spicer really just called concentration camps “Holocaust centers.”
— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) April 11, 2017
Spicer yesterday: Not for POTUS to say whether Assad is a war criminal
Spicer today: Assad worse than Hitler and his holocaust centers
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) April 11, 2017
You don’t have to be a Holocaust survivor/descendent to be horrified by Spicer, but if you are, this has to be extra heartbreaking.
— Yashar (@yashar) April 11, 2017
What difference does it make if Hitler used gas chambers or planes to poison people? I don’t understand Spicer’s second clarification here. https://t.co/KgftD8e4ZQ
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) April 11, 2017
Full Spicer Hitler quote is even worse than the topline. So Jews weren’t Hitler’s “own people” or “innocent”? https://t.co/VfojYaJhc6 pic.twitter.com/jG9RwDsSJY
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) April 11, 2017
At least Hitler didn’t use airplanes to gas people. He had the decency of putting them on trains and then into gas chambers https://t.co/d7AEdegYwe
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) April 11, 2017
the exact moment sean said “holocaust centers” pic.twitter.com/qcJRg71d9f
— David Mack (@davidmackau) April 11, 2017
i honestly cannot chose my fav reaction — they all perfectly capture what it’s been like since Jan 20 pic.twitter.com/ZhWfmyuNtV
— David Mack (@davidmackau) April 11, 2017
today sean spicer truly became press secretary
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) April 11, 2017
Steven Goldstein, the Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect issued this statement:
“On Passover no less, Sean Spicer has engaged in Holocaust denial, the most offensive form of fake news imaginable, by denying Hitler gassed millions of Jews to death. Spicer’s statement is the most evil slur upon a group of people we have ever heard from a White House press secretary. Sean Spicer now lacks the integrity to serve as White House press secretary, and President Trump must fire him at once.”
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.