Last Updated on February 19, 2020
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, complained that Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was being antisemitic on Twitter after the Texas lawmaker remarked that Wall Street billionaire Michael Bloomberg “owns the media.”
Cruz’s remark was made in reference to another tweet showing a headline from media publication Bloomberg.com, captioned “Bloomberg campaign says it’s a two-man race for the nomination per Bloomberg the news organization owned and controlled by Bloomberg.”
“It’s almost as if he owns the media,” Cruz wrote.
It’s almost as if he owns the media. https://t.co/0tVTBg0DtT
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 19, 2020
Jonathan Greenblatt quickly appeared on Twitter to decry Cruz’s quip and castigate the Texas senator for perpetuating “harmful antisemitic tropes.”
“Is it antisemitic to point out that Mike Bloomberg owns a news service? No. Is it antisemitic to accuse a Jewish person of controlling the media? Absolutely yes,” the ADL CEO seethed. “This assertion goes far beyond the facts and perpetuates harmful antisemitic tropes.”
As the author of a resolution condemning slanderous myths about Jews, money, and power, @tedcruz should know better. https://t.co/sH3kpFJ4D5
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) February 19, 2020
Greenblatt’s allegations are particularly bizarre since, as pointed out by Greenblatt himself, Cruz is a lifelong Zionist and opponent of antisemitism.
Cruz once authored a congressional resolution explicitly condemning antisemitism.
Twitter users mocked Greenblatt in his own replies for his less-than-credible cries of outrage over Cruz’s statement.
https://twitter.com/raymondofwath/status/1230171526487511042
I speak against Antisemitism all the time, but if a man owns a media outlet, how is it a slur in any form to say he controls that news outlet? If anyone accused Mr. Bloomberg of controlling all media, I missed it.
— ֍ Rachel 🇺🇸🇦🇲☦️ (@RaychelTania) February 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/Cameron_Gray/status/1230214121502670848
Greenblatt and the ADL have been ridiculed before for their weaponized use of the antisemitism allegation against things they don’t like, such as YouTuber Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg, the “okay” hand sign, and internet meme Pepe the Frog.
