Pesach Sameach: White House Spokesman’s Holocaust Flub Drives Twitter Wild

“Young children all over the world know more than the White House press secretary about the Holocaust,” one Twitter user pointed out.

On Tuesday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that instigator of the Final Solution Adolf Hitler never used “chemical weapons” against his own people, a claim so obviously false it’s difficult to take seriously.

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) April 11, 2017

Even those with the most peripheral knowledge of arguably the 20th century’s worst villain know that Hitler threw Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and others into gas chambers at concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe — camps Sean Spicer referred to as “Holocaust centers” — by the tens of thousands.

“Hitler didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons,” Spicer said. “You have to ask yourself if you are Russia, is this a country and a regime you want to align yourself with?”

Spicer followed up by clarifying that Hitler “was not using gas on his own people the same way [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] was."

— Zack Budryk 🌹 (@PraxisKenzie) April 11, 2017

A host of Twitter users quickly made sport out of Spicer’s comments — and apparent unawareness that comparing Assad with Hitler is sort of like comparing foot massages with watching a tennis match: they are not the same thing.

— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) April 11, 2017

Indeed, Hitler’s gassing of German Jews apparently never happened on Spicer’s account. Hitler “was not using the gas on his own people,” the spokesman said.

— redirectloop (@redirectloop) April 11, 2017

— Michael Blackman (@MBlackman37) April 11, 2017

Spicer had to “clarify” his comments again on Tuesday: “In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust,” he said, “however, I was trying to draw a contrast of the tacit of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on innocent people.”

But wait, there’s more.

Spicer then sent out a revised clarification, in which he corrected part of the statement to read “population centers” instead of innocent citizens. This doesn’t seem like a person exuding confidence in his claims — which is ironic for someone whose job title is spokesman.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 11, 2017

The particularly astute will note Spicer’s abrasive claims came on Passover, a Jewish holiday celebrated April 10 through 18.

The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect has issued a statement to the Trump White House demanding Spicer’s removal.

Update: On Tuesday evening, Spicer issued a formal apology. "I mistakenly used an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust," Spicer said. "There is no comparison," between Assad's alleged actions and Hitler's merciless and systemized slaughter of Jews. "For that I apologize."