Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recent anti-Semitic comments from the Democratic Party undermine not just the relationship between the United States and Israel but also the "religious freedom of every human being."
Repeated anti-Semitic remarks by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) regarding Israel and American support for the Jewish state have roiled the Democratic Party, with some members coming to her defense and others condemning her comments.
Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Pompeo if he worried about it with regard to the U.S.-Israel relationship, in an interview airing Friday on Fox News.
"I do," Pompeo said. "I worry about it for multiple reasons. Not just the relationship between these two democracies, but I worry about it because it undermines why we began today. The protection of the dignity and rights and the religious freedom of every human being, so when I hear anti-Semitic remarks, it saddens me, and I know it undermines what is the greatest about the United States of America."
Support for Israel has declined among the increasingly left-wing base of the Democratic Party. Omar had to apologize after previously tweeting pro-Israel politicians are paid off to support the country, and she also invoked the "dual loyalty" canard last month after claiming Israel supporters were forced to show "allegiance to a foreign country."
The left-wing Women's March has also been beset by accusations of anti-Semitism at its highest levels, with some expressing support for radical anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said anti-Semitic remarks by Democratic members of Congress hurt the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
"Not just the relationship between these two democracies but it undermines the protection of the dignity and religious rights of every person." pic.twitter.com/Ts3LLfGC5l
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 15, 2019
Pompeo's appearance came the same week Israel launched airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation against rockets fired from the Palestinian territory on Israeli soil.
"We will support the Israelis' right to defend themselves," Pompeo said.