US agency investigates taxpayer-funded anti-Semitism against George Soros: NPR

A sign seen on the wall of the headquarters of Radio and TV Marti in Miami.

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A sign seen on the wall of the headquarters of Radio and TV Marti in Miami.

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The US Agency for World Media has launched an investigation into an anti-Semitic televised segment targeting George Soros and broadcast on a Spanish-language broadcaster funded by the federal government.

The 15-minute feature broadcast in May by Radio-TV Marti qualifies the billionaire philanthropist as a "Jewish multimillionaire" who uses his profits to "fund anti-system activities [political] movements that fill his pockets. "

The video resurfaced on Friday, just days after an explosive device package was found at Soros' home in New York, and one day earlier, an armed man opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people. faithful in the course of a local prosecutor. act of terrible and unnameable hatred ".

The video released in May "is inconsistent with our professional standards and ethics," said USAGM chief John Lansing in a statement released on Monday.

His agency oversees the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which runs the Martí radio and television and, according to its website, "to promote freedom and democracy by providing the Cuban people with objective programming of information and information". # 39; s information. "

"Those deemed responsible for this production will immediately be put on administrative leave pending an investigation into their apparent misconduct," Lansing said. "Appropriate disciplinary measures under federal law may then be proposed, including the eventual removal of officials, depending on the outcome of the investigation."

The Cuban Triangle blog first drew attention to this segment, which has since been removed from the Radio and Television Martí website – although some parts can still be viewed on YouTube. The Cuban Triangle presented some of the most striking elements of the full segment, including Soros' call:

• "The architect of the financial collapse of 2018."
• "A Jewish financial speculator not practicing with a flexible morality."
• A financier of groups that "only destabilize societies and cultures".

"George Soros has his eyes fixed on Latin America," the narrator says on a disturbing score. "But Judicial Watch, a legal research group in the United States, has eyes on Soros and what it sees as its deadly influence to undermine democracies."

Judicial Watch, a group of conservative activists, has been the subject of close scrutiny over the last few weeks for its own campaign against Soros. He has raised funds on Facebook with ads featuring the face of the liberal Hungarian philanthropist, surrounded in red by a call to action: "Expose Soros!"

Fox Business recently condemned the statements of the organization's director of investigations and research, Chris Farrell, who pushed a conspiracy theory about Soros during his appearance on Lou Dobbs tonight. Farrell asserted unfoundedly that a caravan of Central American migrants was funded by the "Soros State Department".

The suspect involved in the Pittsburgh shootout – which took hours before Fox Business reappeared Farrell's appearance – seems to have put forward similar theories on social media before his attack, claiming that Jews were behind the scenes. of the caravan.

But the beliefs of the Pittsburgh suspect have not been an aberration. The Anti-Defamation League and others noted that antisemitic incidents had jumped nearly 60% during the first year of President Trump's term. The ADL says it's the biggest jump of its kind ever recorded.

George Soros, seen last year in Berlin. The segment broadcast by Radio and TV Martí at the beginning of the year accused him of plots aimed at undermining governments.

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George Soros, seen last year in Berlin. The segment broadcast by Radio and TV Martí at the beginning of the year accused him of plots aimed at undermining governments.

Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Shortly after Radio and Television Martí's video resurfaced, Arizona GOP Senator Jeff Flake denounced it. "taxpayer funded anti-Semitism" and called for an investigation.

"At a time when hateful rhetoric is having a devastating impact on the United States, it is irresponsible on the part of any federal government agency to perpetuate baseless conspiracy theories that, far from supporting the goals of foreign policy. American, go against it, "Flake said. said in a letter sent Monday to Lansing.

He also described the Television Martí program as "a waste of taxpayer money" that fails to convince – or even, in many cases, even reach – its intended Cuban audience.

Radio Martí was founded in 1985 and joined five years later by its broadcaster. Its parent agency, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, received nearly $ 30 million in federal funding during fiscal 2017.

"The rise of anti-Semitism in the United States is already quite serious," added Flake. "US taxpayers should not fund its distribution."

The Open Society foundations of Soros have already supported NPR.