Trump Surrogate Walks Back ‘False Flag’ Tweet On JCC Threat

Image by gettyimages

By Daniel J. Solomon March 1, 2017

Anthony Scaramucci, wealthy financier and friend of President Trump, walked back comments on Wednesday that insinuated Democrats might have been responsible for threats phoned into dozens of Jewish community centers around the country.

“I’m not suggesting the Democrats were behind it. What I was really suggesting in that tweet is that we actually don’t know who’s behind it,” he said in a tense interview with CNN’s Alyse Camarota, as she confronted him over his tweets.

It’s not yet clear who the #JCC offenders are. Don’t forget @TheDemocrats effort to incite violence at Trump rallies https://t.co/uTBFGhI0Kh

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)
I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Email(Required)

— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) February 28, 2017

No, I’m saying until we know for sure it’s highly irresponsible to jump to conclusions https://t.co/wynFuUCKyT

— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) February 28, 2017

The president acknowledged the wave of threats and vandalism against Jewish institutions during his address to Congress Tuesday night. Some have attributed the incidents to a climate more hospitable to bigotry since the president’s election last November.

Scaramucci briefly worked on Trump’s transition team, but his appointment was ultimately dropped due to ethical concerns.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO