WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)— Democratic and Republican Jewish affiliate groups on Sunday, Oct. 10, criticized an Ohio Republican congressional candidate who dressed up as a Nazi SS man in a World War II re-creation, and in the process also criticized each other.
The National Jewish Democratic Council was the first to issue a news release about the conduct of Rich Iott. The release said:
“The National Jewish Democratic Council was appalled at the news that Tea Party-backed Republican candidate Rich Iott participated in Nazi reenactments. His willing engagement in these activities is not only an affront to the American Jewish community and the dwindling number of Holocaust survivors, but to those who served our country during World War II. His clear lack of judgment makes him unfit to serve our country as a member of Congress.
“This is yet another example of the Republican Party backing an extremist candidate who fails to represent the views of mainstream Americans. NJDC calls on leaders and members of the Republican Party to rescind their support for Iott’s candidacy and to denounce his participation in these offensive and inappropriate reenactments.”
“NJDC has been tracking the questionable actions of right-wing candidates during this election cycle. You can find out more by clicking here. “
Within a few hours, the Republican Jewish Coalition responded with its own news release:
“The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) today strongly commended Republican Party leaders for moving swiftly to sever ties to Ohio congressional candidate Rich Iott.
“On Friday, The Atlantic reported that Iott had been a regular participant in historical reenactments of World War Two-era battles, and that as part of these activities, he would dress up in an SS uniform. Iott has issued a number of responses to the story, but his first statement showed no awareness of the offense this activity would cause to Jews in general and Holocaust survivors in particular.
“RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks stated, ‘Rich Iott’s initial statement after the story about his Nazi-focused historical reenactments broke showed that he clearly lacks the judgment we should expect of lawmakers.’
“Brooks went on to note that Republican leaders had handled an unfortunate situation responsibly: ‘I was pleased to learn that the Republican campaign committee removed references about this candidate from its web site immediately. Jewish voters can also be pleased that House Republican Whip Eric Cantor forcefully condemned any activity suggesting Nazi nostalgia when asked about it on CBS’ Face the Nation program.’
“Brooks blasted Democrats for making unsupported allegations that Republicans excused Iott’s bad judgement. ‘Unfortunately, in their desperation over anticipated midterm losses, House Democrat leaders like Chris Van Hollen and Debbie Wasserman Schultz want to use Mr. Iott’s previously-unreported activities to smear the GOP. Let’s be clear: There is no evidence that Republican leaders countenanced – or even knew about – this part of Mr. Iott’s background until the story broke. Nor is there evidence that the insensitivity to Jewish concerns Mr. Iott has displayed is shared by other GOP candidates. For Democrats to baselessly claim otherwise is disgraceful and destructive.”
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Preceding based on material provided by the NJDC and the RJC