Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt criticized the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden Administration, and the Democratic Party or their lack of response to the antisemitic abuse hurled at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro when he was considered as Harris' running mate.
“No one from the White House called out the antisemitic slander campaign against Governor Shapiro. No one from the campaign called out the antisemitic smear campaign against Governor Shapiro. No one from the DNC called out the antisemitic smear campaign against Governor Shapiro," Greenblatt said in an interview with the New York Post.
He called the Democrats' silence in the face of the antisemitic campaign against Shapiro "shameful."
Shapiro, the popular governor of crucial swing-state Pennsylvania, was considered a front-runner to be Harris' running mate before she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead. However, Shapiro was targeted by a far-left campaign that criticized his pro-Israel positions. Many observers noted that Walz, who voiced similar positions on Israel to Shapiro at the time, was not targeted with the same campaign as the Jewish candidate.
Several weeks before Harris made her selection public, CNNcame under fire after its anchor John King said there were “risks” in putting forward Shapiro as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee because “he’s Jewish.”
“He’s certainly under consideration,” King said before adding, “He’s a first-term governor, he’s Jewish, there could be some risks in putting him on the ticket, but certainly some of our voters here in Pennsylvania said, ‘Hey, we like Gov. Shapiro, give him a look.'”
Not all Democrats were silent in the face of the antisemitism displayed against Shapiro. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said, "The carefully orchestrated smear campaign against Governor Josh Shapiro should be seen as a wake-up call that underscores the need for continued and heightened vigilance against far-left antisemitism."