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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 12 april 2017
Spicer apologizes for ‘insensitive’ reference to Holocaust

seum, the Nazis experi-
Continued from front mented with poison gas
The White House gener- in late 1939 with the killing
ated criticism at the start of mental patients, which
of the year when a state- was termed “euthanasia.”
ment on international Ho- Both mobile and stationary
locaust Remembrance gas chambers were later
Day did not make any ref- used, with up to 6,000 Jews
erence to Jews. In the CNN gassed each day at Aus-
interview, Spicer said his chwitz alone.
comments did not reflect On Monday, the White
Trump’s views. “My com- House clarified remarks
ments today did not re- Spicer made from the po-
flect the president’s, were dium that the use of barrel
a distraction from him and bombs by Assad’s govern-
frankly were misstated, in- ment might lead to further
sensitive and wrong.” He military action by the Unit-
added, “Obviously it was ed States. In an exchange
my blunder.” The interview with reporters, Spicer ap-
capped several attempts peared to draw a new
by the White House to red line for the Trump ad-
clarify Spicer’s statement. ministration when he told
During the briefing, Spicer reporters that if a country
was asked about his initial White House press secretary Sean Spicer prepares to go on cable news on the North Lawn of the gases a baby or it puts “a
statement but delivered White House, Tuesday, April 11, 2017, in Washington. Spicer is apologizing for making an “insensi- barrel bomb into innocent
tive” reference to the Holocaust in earlier comments about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s use of
a garbled defense of his chemical weapons. people, I think you will
remarks in which he tried (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) see a response from this
to differentiate between president.”q
Hitler’s actions and the cusable.” Democrats and
gas attack on Syrian civil- Jewish organizations con-
ians last week. The attack demned the comments.
in northern Syria left nearly House Democratic leader
90 people dead, and Tur- Nancy Pelosi of California
key’s health minister said said in a statement that
tests show sarin gas was Spicer was “downplay-
used. “I think when you ing the horror of the Holo-
come to sarin gas, there caust” and should be fired.
was no, he (Hitler) was not Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.,
using the gas on his own said on Twitter, “Someone
people the same way that get @PressSec a refresher
Assad is doing,” Spicer history course on Hitler stat
said. “There was clearly ... (hashtag)#Icantbelieveh
I understand your point, ereallysaidthat.” The New
thank you. There was not ... York-based Anne Frank
He brought them into the Center for Mutual Respect
Holocaust center I under- called on Trump to fire
stand that.” “I appreciate Spicer, saying he denied
the clarification. That was that Hitler gassed Jews dur-
not the intent,” he said. ing the Holocaust.
The comparison to World Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Jew-
War II appeared to be part ish Republican from New
of a message the adminis- York, said in a statement
tration was trying to deliver that “as far as comments
as it explains its tactics in being made and com-
Syria. Defense Secretary parisons of various tactics
Jim Mattis noted in a sepa- and methods between
rate briefing that “the in- now and World War II, you
tent was to stop the cycle can make the compari-
of violence into an area son a little differently and it
that even in World War II would be accurate, but it’s
chemical weapons were important to clear up that
not used on battlefields.” Hitler did in fact use chemi-
After the briefing, Spicer cal warfare to murder in-
emailed a statement to nocent people.” Spicer’s
reporters: “In no way was I comments came on the
trying to lessen the horren- first day of Passover and a
dous nature of the Holo- day after the White House
caust. I was trying to draw held a Seder dinner mark-
a distinction of the tactic ing the emancipation of
of using airplanes to drop the Jewish people, a tra-
chemical weapons on dition started during the
population centers. Any Obama administration.
attack on innocent people According to the U.S.
is reprehensible and inex- Holocaust Memorial Mu-