Ben Garrison, a political cartoonist who has drawn anti-Semitic illustrations, will no longer be attending the White House’s social-media summit on Thursday, reported Politico.
The invite sparked condemnation from the Jewish community, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Republican Jewish Coalition.
“I had a number of email and phone conversations the last two days with the White House on the issue,” RJC spokesperson Neil Strauss told JNS. “I explained the RJC stance that this invite was a mistake, and we didn’t think Garrison should be welcomed to the White House or as a participant in this event. The White House was very responsive to our concerns and, in a related note, I will be attending and participating in the summit, representing the RJC.”
It also drew a rebuke from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who told JNS that “it is completely unacceptable that the Trump administration would invite someone to the White House who has been known to write anti-Semitic cartoons. The Trump administration continues to create an environment where hateful speech, including anti-Semitism, is condoned. The president ought to revoke his invitation immediately.”
Garrison’s history of anti-Semitic cartoons includes one in 2017 of then-U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and retired U.S. Gen. David Petraeus on strings controlled by Jewish billionaire George Soros, who is also dangled on strings controlled by a hand from a single arm labeled “Rothschilds,” referring to the iconic Jewish philanthropic family from the United Kingdom that has been a common target of anti-Semitic conspiracies.
Facebook and Twitter have reportedly not been invited to the summit, which is being held as conservatives have criticized social networking cites of censoring right-wing content.
