Multiple Trump White House officials have ties to antisemitic extremists

President Trump campaigned connected a pledge to combat antisemitism.

"Antisemitic bigotry has nary spot successful a civilized society," Trump said astatine an lawsuit successful 2024.

However, the president's critics question whether antisemitism whitethorn person recovered a spot wrong his administration.

NPR has identified 3 Trump officials with adjacent ties to antisemitic extremists, including a antheral described by national prosecutors arsenic a "Nazi sympathizer," and a salient Holocaust denier.

The White House did not respond to aggregate requests for comment.

The Trump medication has utilized the combat against antisemitism arsenic justification for the deportation of pro-Palestinian pupil protesters and backing cuts to universities.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, argues that the medication is utilizing antisemitism arsenic a pretext.

"If the medication were superior astir countering antisemitism, archetypal and foremost they wouldn't beryllium appointing radical with antisemitic and different extremist ties to elder roles wrong the administration," Spitalnick said.

The White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security

Paul Ingrassia, presently serving arsenic the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, has ties to aggregate figures wide known for promoting antisemitism.

In 2023, Ingrassia repeatedly praised the arguable "manosphere" influencer Andrew Tate and worked connected his ineligible team. Romanian authorities person accused Tate of quality trafficking. Florida's lawyer wide besides opened an probe into Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate. The 2 men contradict each wrongdoing.

The apical of Ingrassia's Instagram page features a pinned photograph of himself with Andrew Tate, who describes himself arsenic a "misogynist."

"The Tate brothers supply an accidental for a amended aboriginal - 1 that inspires, alternatively than degrades, men," reads Ingrassia's caption.

The Anti-Defamation League says that Tate "has leaned heavy into unabashedly antisemitic rhetoric, perpetuating Holocaust revisionism, spreading conspiracy theories astir Israel, praising Hamas, performing Nazi salutes and encouraging radical to clasp and openly prosecute successful racism."

Ingrassia was besides seen astatine a June 2024 rally successful Detroit led by Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and achromatic nationalist.

As Fuentes began his speech, his supporters chanted, "Down with Israel!"

"I don't cognize astir you," Fuentes said astatine the rally, "but calling Donald Trump a racist lone makes maine similar him more."

Amanda Moore, a freelance journalist, spotted Ingrassia successful the assemblage and reported for The Intercept that helium stayed for astir 20 minutes.

"I've seen him astatine different events. I'm acquainted with his societal media," Moore told NPR. "And for immoderate reason, helium chose to basal straight successful beforehand of me, truthful helium was hard to miss."

Livestream footage shows Ingrassia approaching Fuentes, smiling earlier helium spoke arsenic Fuentes' supporters chanted, "We privation Nick!"

On societal media, Ingrassia has written that "dissident voices" similar Fuentes beryllium successful blimpish politics. He wrote a Substack post titled "Free Nick Fuentes," criticizing the level X for banning Fuentes implicit hatred speech. Fuentes' X relationship was aboriginal reinstated.

(Trump dined with Fuentes, alongside Kanye West, who goes by Ye, astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful 2022. Trump said helium "knew thing about" Fuentes. Ye has since recorded a opus glorifying Adolf Hitler.)

Ingrassia besides supported the Patriot Freedom Project, which advocates for radical charged successful transportation with the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol.

"The calamity of Jan. 6, 2021, was not that it was an onslaught connected our democracy, fto unsocial an insurrection," Ingrassia said astatine a Patriot Freedom Project fundraiser successful January 2024. "But rather, it was an accidental for the heavy authorities to yet region its disguise and statesman prosecuting and jailing guiltless American citizens similar Tim, similar truthful galore of the radical present today."

The "Tim" whom Ingrassia referenced is Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who was convicted of aggregate nonviolent offenses for storming the Capitol connected Jan. 6 and was aboriginal pardoned by Trump.

Federal prosecutors described Hale-Cusanelli arsenic a "Nazi sympathizer" who erstwhile went to enactment astatine a naval weapons presumption with a "Hitler mustache." He besides recorded a lengthy antisemitic video rant successful which helium compared Orthodox Jews to a "plague of locusts."

Hale-Cusanelli denies that helium is simply a Nazi sympathizer and calls himself a "satirist" and net troll.

Ingrassia, responding to emailed questions from NPR, said, "I denounce immoderate hateful oregon incendiary remark Mr. Hale made. But my advocacy for J6ers is not based connected immoderate peculiar remark, but connected the rule that each Americans are entitled to owed process and escaped speech."

Ingrassia told NPR, "This communicative you're trying to connect to maine that I'm immoderate benignant of extremist is lacking successful each credibility."

He maintained that helium unintentionally attended the Fuentes rally, which was crossed from a gathering of the blimpish radical Turning Point USA.

"I had nary cognition of who organized the event, observed for 5-10 minutes, past left," helium wrote, though helium did not respond to questions astir his stance connected Fuentes' antisemitic rhetoric.

Ingrassia besides did not respond to a question astir Andrew Tate's antisemitic commentary.

The communications manager for the White House Office of Management and Budget

Before joining the Trump medication arsenic the communications manager for the White House Office of Management and Budget, Rachel Cauley served connected the committee of the Patriot Freedom Project. The nonprofit radical was founded successful nonstop effect to the apprehension of Hale-Cusanelli connected Jan. 6 charges.

Cauley besides handled media requests for the group. In 2022, the laminitis of the Patriot Freedom Project gave a lengthy interview to the explicitly achromatic nationalist website Counter-Currents. (The editor-in-chief of Counter-Currents authored a publication called The White Nationalist Manifesto and has written astir "Hitler's Significance for Our Struggle.") After that interrogation received wider attraction online, it appeared to beryllium removed from the website.

Later that year, Cauley attended portion of Hale-Cusanelli's transgression proceedings and sat with his supporters.

On societal media, Cauley referred to the trial arsenic a "clown trial" and said Hale-Cusanelli's condemnation was a "complete miscarriage of justice."

Reached by telephone this week, Cauley told an NPR newsman 3 times, "You tin nonstop maine an email," earlier hanging up.

She did not respond to consequent emails.

An authoritative astatine the Department of Justice 

Trump appointed blimpish activistic Ed Martin to aggregate Department of Justice roles, aft his information for U.S. lawyer for the District of Columbia, failed. Martin's ties to Hale-Cusanelli played a cardinal relation successful the illness of his information to that role.

In August 2024, Martin praised Hale-Cusanelli arsenic an "extraordinary man" and "extraordinary leader" and gave him an grant for promoting "God, household and country." (Martin besides gave Ingrassia an grant instantly aft Hale-Cusanelli spoke to the gathering.)

In podcast interviews, Martin called Hale-Cusanelli an "amazing guy" and "great friend."

Martin aboriginal denounced Hale-Cusanelli's views, saying helium was unaware of his past antisemitic rhetoric.

"I condemn his comments and views successful the strongest presumption possible," Martin said successful written grounds to the Senate. "I americium not adjacent with him."

Martin's past of interactions with Hale-Cusanelli, including astatine respective events and successful podcast interviews, person raised questions astir the truthfulness of that testimony.

Other links within the administration

Ingrassia, Cauley and Martin are not the lone Trump medication officials connected to antisemitic extremists.

Before becoming FBI director, Kash Patel appeared 8 abstracted times connected a podcast hosted by far-right conspiracy theorist Stew Peters, who promotes Holocaust denial. Peters posted a photo of himself holding Hitler's Mein Kampf with the connection "visionary leadership." In caller days, helium attacked the laminitis of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, with antisemitic vitriol.

During Patel's Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked, "Are you acquainted with Mr. Stew Peters?"

"Not disconnected the apical of my head," Patel responded.

Peters disputed Patel's testimony.

"Clearly, Kash Patel is lying," helium said successful response to Patel's Senate testimony. "He perfectly does cognize who I am."

A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment.

At the Department of Defense, spokesperson Kingsley Wilson faced criticism from Jewish civilian rights groups for sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories connected societal media, including references to the "great replacement theory" and the lynching of Leo Frank successful 1915.

Historians wide judge that Frank was falsely accused of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl, though antisemitic extremists and neo-Nazis proceed to asseverate his guilt.

Wilson echoed those talking points successful a 2023 station connected X.

"Leo Frank raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl. He besides tried to framework a achromatic antheral for his crime," Wilson wrote successful 2023.

The Pentagon did not respond to NPR's petition for comment.

Spitalnick, of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, criticized the administration's selective absorption connected alleged antisemitism among Trump's ideological opponents portion ignoring concerns wrong its ain ranks.

"The ways successful which the medication is exploiting the Jewish community's morganatic fears and concerns astir antisemitism is yet undermining Jewish safety," said Spitalnick.