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By Josh Nathan-Kazis February 16, 2017

Rep. Jerry Nadler said that President Trump’s failure to condemn anti-Semitism in response to a question at a Wednesday press conference was “alarming.”

“Mr. Trump’s silence earlier today in the face of these questions shows a sickening disregard for the safety and rights of not just Jews, but all minority groups across America,” Nadler said.

The question came from an Israeli reporter at a White House press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The reporter cited a reported rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S., and asked what the president would say to Jews concerned that his “administration is playing with xenophobia.”

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In response, Trump noted that he had won the presidential election, and then said that members of his family are Jewish. He did not directly address anti-Semitism or the charge of xenophobia.

Nadler’s statement also noted that a reporter with the website Breitbart News was given a front-row seat at the press conference. He called that a “terrifying signal.”

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected]

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