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.
“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.
“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.”
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:
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.”