(JTA) — A aide to President Trump said that criticism of the White House statement on the Holocaust that omitted Jews was motivated solely by a desire to attack the president.

Sebastian Gorka lashed out after being asked Monday by conservative talk show host Michael Medved if he would acknowledge that it was “questionable” for the White House not to specifically acknowledge the Jewish people in its Holocaust remembrance day statement last month.

“No, I’m not going to admit it,” Gorka said. “Because it’s asinine. It’s absurd…It’s only reasonable to twist it if your objective is to attack the president.”

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In a statement last month to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the White House noted the “victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust,” but did not specifically mention the Jewish people. Six million Jews were killed in the Nazi genocide.

The omission was broadly condemned by Jewish groups from across the political spectrum — including the Anti-Defamation League, the Zionist Organization of America and the Republican Jewish Coalition — with the notable exception of the World Jewish Congress, which said the statement “appropriately commemorates” the victims of the Nazis.

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