Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is under scrutiny after it was revealed that he posted a tweet which could be construed as anti-Semitic after a bomb was sent to the home of Jewish philanthropist George Soros and left it up until Wednesday.
The tweet, which included the hashtag #MAGA to express support for President Donald Trump, singled out Soros, billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It urged those who read it to "get out and vote Republican" on the grounds that the individuals singled out would try to "buy" the election. Given that one of the common anti-Semitic myths is that Jews have disproportionate power due to their supposed ability to buy elections, and that the three men singled out by McCarthy are all Jewish, the tweet could have been construed as being an anti-Semitic dogwhistle.
After a gunman attacked a Pittsburgh synagogue and killed 11 people, McCarthy posted a pair of tweets that expressed sympathy for the victims. The suspect in that shooting is a 46-year-old man named Robert Bowers, who is believed to have made anti-Semitic statements during the shooting as well as online, according to CNN. Bowers has been charged with 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder and multiple counts of two hate crimes involving persecution of individuals based on their religious convictions.
"Our communities of faith are filled with love and peace. Today’s heinous attacks on Tree of Life synagogue perpetrated by anti-Semitism and hate will not shake our love for each other. May God’s grace be with the victims and their families," McCarthy wrote in his first tweet.
In the second he added, "We will keep fighting for a country where every religious believer can 'sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.'"
McCarthy has also been the victim of violence in recent days. On Saturday his office in California was vandalized by an unknown person or group of people (the congressman posted pictures of two men who he claimed were responsible) who "threw a boulder" through the window of his Bakersfield office and stole equipment, according to CNN.
"Does anyone know these two guys? They threw a boulder thru our office window and took office equipment," McCarthy posted on Instagram with a picture of two suspects. In an interview on Fox News Tuesday, McCarthy said that "I don't know if this was politically driven. It might be driven more just from the idea of stealing in the office." After the incident, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a tweet denouncing violence regardless of whether it comes from the left or the right.
"Make no mistake: Despicable acts of violence and harassment are being carried out by radicals across the political spectrum—not just by one side. Regardless of who is responsible, these acts are wrong and must be condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike. Period," Schumer wrote.
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