Moskowitz confronts Greene on Ukraine, Nazi remarks
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) confronted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in a Wednesday hearing about her false claims that Nazism was rampant in Ukraine — an argument frequently touted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to justify his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a House Oversight Committee hearing titled “Defending America from the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Warfare,” Moskowitz issued a searing rebuke of the Georgia congresswoman’s efforts to paint Ukrainians as Nazis and pushed back against her comparisons of Ukraine’s government to that of Nazi Germany.
“Stop bringing up Nazis and Hitler. The only people who know about Nazis and Hitler are the 10 million people and their families who lost their loved ones — generations of people who were wiped out,” Moskowitz said.
“It is enough of this disgusting behavior, using Nazis as propaganda,” he continued. “You want to talk about Nazis? Get yourself over to the Holocaust Museum. You go see what Nazis did.”
“It's despicable that we use that, and we allow it, and we sit here like somehow it's regular,” he said.
Moskowitz began by invoking his own family’s history, saying, “Now, I want to address something else that went on in this committee by another member,” referring to Greene’s comments earlier the same day.
“And I say this as someone whose grandparents escaped the Holocaust. My grandmother was part of the Kindertransport out of Germany. Her parents were killed in Auschwitz. My grandfather, her husband, escaped Poland from the pogroms.”
Moskowitz described Nazi Germany’s efforts to wipe out the Jewish people, and criticized fellow lawmakers for tolerating false claims, saying, “We pretend that behavior is acceptable and regular.”
“There are no concentration camps in Ukraine. They're not taking babies and shooting them in the ear because they're Jewish. There's no gas chambers. There's no ovens. They're not railing people in, they're not ripping gold out of people's mouths. They're not taking stuff out of their homes. They're not trying to erase a people, the Ukrainians,” Moskowitz said.
His remarks follow Greene’s line of questioning in the hearing, which she used to push back on Democrats’ witness, historian Timothy Snyder, an expert on the Holocaust, fascism, the Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe.
In her remarks, Greene highlighted several news stories and displayed several photos that she said depicted neo-Nazis in Ukraine. She raised concerns that it is now widely considered misinformation to talk about “the Nazis in Ukraine and their recruitment efforts that go all around the world.”
Greene displayed a news story, entitled, “Inside a White Supremacist Militia in Ukraine,” and then held up a photo of what appeared to be two Ukrainian soldiers, smiling, and holding their right hands up as a form of salute.
“This looks like something you'd see out of Hitler's Germany from Ukraine. And this is something that's extremely important to talk about,” Greene said.
When given a chance to respond to Greene’s remarks, Snyder refuted the suggestion that Nazis were pervasive in Ukrainian government, and he urged lawmakers to redirect their concerns about fascism to focus on Russia.
“If the chamber is interested in the degree of far-right participation in Ukrainian politics, you can be assured that no far-right party has ever crossed 3 percent ... in a Ukrainian election,” he said. “So, of course, there are bad people in every country, but by any comparative standard, it is a very small phenomenon.”
“In Russia, on the other hand, the army includes openly Nazi formations … the government itself is fascist in character, and it is carrying out a war, which includes deportation of children by the tens of thousands, the open intention of destroying a state, as well as mass torture,” Snyder said. “So if we're looking for fascism, and if there is anyone who is sincerely concerned about halting fascism or racism, you would wish to halt Russia.”
Date: | |
Tag: | Ukraine |
Filter
-
Moskowitz slams Greene: ‘We won't even let her name a post office. We’re not going to let her take out the Speaker'
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said Sunday that he thinks Democrats would be inclined to save Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a potential ouster threat if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) forces a vote on his removal. In an interview on ...The Hill - Politics -
A message to veterans confronting PTSD
Chuck Rotenberry served in Iraq and Afghanistan and returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder. He encouraged veterans confronting PTSD to not give up hope.CBS News - Top stories -
Italy commemorates the end of Nazi Germany's occupation in 1945
Yahoo News - World -
Moskowitz: Florida is in play because of abortion ballot initiative
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said he thinks Florida is “in play” for President Biden’s reelection campaign this November because of the abortion ballot initiative that could drive voter turnout. Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court ...The Hill - Politics - Abortion -
University of Southern California Confronts an Unfamiliar Era of Protest
The 144-year-old Los Angeles institution has not had a reputation for campus activism, but it now finds itself embroiled in controversies over the war in Gaza.The New York Times - Top stories - California -
Biden delivers remarks on the CHIPS Act and job growth
Watch live coverage as President Biden delivers remarks on how the CHIPS and Science Act are growing the economy and creating jobs.NBC News - Top stories - Joe Biden -
TUV distances itself from migrant drowning remarks
Reform UK's Ben Habib had suggested some travelling in small boats should be left to drown.BBC News - Top stories -
Fact-Checking Trump’s Remarks in the Hush Money Trial
Each day before and after court proceedings, the former president stepped out in front of the cameras and offered his version of the case.The New York Times - Top stories - Donald Trump -
China warns Blinken US must choose between ‘co-operation or confrontation’
Secretary of state expected to demand Beijing cease support for Russia’s war in UkraineFinancial Times - World - China -
China warns Blinken US must choose between ‘co-operation or confrontation’
Secretary of state expected to demand Beijing cease support for Russia’s war in UkraineFinancial Times - Business - China
More from The Hill
-
Riot police drag away protesters at University of Texas as Gaza tensions flare
State troopers in riot gear moved on Monday afternoon to clear out students attempting to occupy a quad at the University of Texas at Austin. Dozens of protesters were arrested on site, escalating tensions that began on Wednesday when the ...The Hill - Politics -
Jill Stein accuses police of assaulting her at protest
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on Sunday alleged police assaulted her and other demonstrators shortly before being arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. “Basically, the police ...The Hill - Politics -
US finds Israeli military units violated human rights
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story US finds Israeli military units violated human rights The State Department has determined that at least five Israeli ...The Hill - Politics - Israel -
Evening Report — Protests continue to spread on college campuses
A quick recap of the day and what to look forward to tomorrow {beacon} Evening Report © AP Pro-Palestinian protests escalate on college campuses Hundreds of students have been arrested on college campuses across the country as ...The Hill - Politics -
FCC fines wireless carriers
Presented by Microsoft — {beacon} Technology Technology PRESENTED BY The Big Story FCC fines major mobile carriers $200M The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a fine totaling $200 million to the nation’s four largest mobile ...The Hill - Politics