Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Alt-Right Candidate Paul Nehlen Threatens ADL

Paul Nehlen, the “alt-right” congressional candidate who has associated himself with white supremacists and published lists of his Jewish critics, is now targeting the Anti-Defamation League.

Nehlen, who had been accused by the ADL of “spewing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and unapologetically racist jargon,” is now vowing to go after the organization, presumably after being elected to Congress after defeating Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in his Wisconsin district’s Republican primary.

In an interview with the internet show Red Ice TV, which is known for hosting white supremacists and anti-Semites, Nehlen argued that the ADL’s criticism against him and his candidacy amounted to a breach of its tax-exempt status.

“I’m going to put an end to the ADL’s 501(c)3 status,” he said, referring to the section in the U.S. tax code providing exemptions for charities that do not involve themselves in political campaigns. “Mark my words, they are gonna be be sorry that they came after me because I will never, ever back down.”

An ADL spokesperson said in response: “For over a century, ADL has fought anti-Semitism and hate wherever the source, and we will continue to do so.”

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren

We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.

With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.

—  Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief 

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.