Is The Mueller Report Being Hidden Like An Afikoman? MSNBC’s Ari Melber Thinks So
The largest half of the broken middle matzah is the afikomen. Image by iStock
Attorney General Bill Barr has announced that he will release Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report — albeit redacted — on Thursday, the day before both Passover and Good Friday. While musing on Tuesday over whether the White House is deliberately trying to stifle awareness of the report’s contents by releasing before major holidays, MSNBC anchor Ari Melber decided to have a little fun with Passover references.
“I’m wondering, heading into Passover, if you’re familiar with the tradition of hiding the akifoman. Are you?” Melber asked panelists Maya Wiley, John Flannery and Sam Nunberg.
Everyone shook their head yes, with former Trump aide Nunberg slightly more enthusiastic: “Yes, very familiar.”
Melber posed a question to the group: “Is the Mueller report, or sections of it, being treated like some afikoman that the Justice Department may be hiding? Is that the right thing? Should this report be hidden?”
Hiding the afikomen, or half of the middle piece of matzah, is a Passover tradition. During the ceremonial Seder meal, children typically run to look for the afikoman, which parents hide. A prize is given to whoever finds it, and then the Seder can continue.
Nunberg, who is Jewish, said he “love[d] the analogy” — but thinks that if the intention is to use the holiday weekend in hopes of burying the report, it will backfire.
“I’ve worked in many political campaigns and public advocacy campaigns and we always would release, including when I worked for Donald Trump, we would release news during holiday weekends because you would own that weekend,” Nunberg said. “If that was their intention [to bury it], it’s just going to backfire.”
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
