Trump Called Dianne Feinstein ‘Sneaky.’ Is That A Dogwhistle?

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By Josh Nathan-Kazis January 10, 2018

Is “Sneaky Dianne” a dogwhistle?

In a midmorning tweet on Wednesday, President Trump called California Senator Dianne Feinstein “Sneaky Dianne” while condemning her over her release of a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing transcript.

The fact that Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, who has on numerous occasions stated that collusion between Trump/Russia has not been found, would release testimony in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization, is a disgrace. Must have tough Primary!

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018

The epithet immediately raised eyebrows.

Jews have historically been stereotyped as “sneaky,” and “sneaky Jew” is a well-known slur. Feinstein is one of seven Jews currently serving in the U.S. Senate.

The transcript that Feinstein released was of a closed hearing with Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of Fusion GPS, the research firm that commissioned a former British spy to conduct research on Trump’s possible ties to Russia. Simpson claimed that the FBI had an inside source within the Trump organization and believed before the election that the information contained in the so-called “Steele Dossier” could be credible.

Correction, 1:40 p.m.: Due to an editing error, this article originally stated that he had an inside source within the Trump organization. In fact, he claimed that the FBI had such a source.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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