Congressman likens Obama to Hitler
In wake of president’s no-show at anti-terror rally, Randy Weber tweets: Even Nazi leader ‘thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris’
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WASHINGTON — A US congressman with a history of making inflammatory remarks is drawing criticism for comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler in a tweet related to the terror attack in Paris.
Republican Rep. Randy Weber’s Twitter account on Monday night said even Hitler “thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris.”
The tweet referred to the German leader’s visit to the vanquished city after his troops invaded in World War II, and to Obama’s failure to join dozens of world leaders at an anti-terror march through Paris on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/TXRandy14/status/554825846725541888
Democratic Rep. Steve Israel denounced the tweet as “vile,” saying Weber was “desecrating the victims of the Holocaust to make a political point.”
Later on Tuesday, Weber issued a lengthy apology for his tweet.
“I need to first apologize to all those offended by my tweet. It was not my intention to trivialize the Holocaust nor to compare the President to Adolf Hitler,” he wrote in a statement.
“The mention of Hitler was meant to represent the face of evil that still exists in the world today. I now realize that the use of Hitler invokes pain and emotional trauma for those affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust and victims of anti-Semitism and hate.”
Weber went on to liken the attacks carried out by the Islamist extremists in Paris to the atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazi party.
“The terrorist attacks in Paris should remind us of the evil that still exists,” Weber said. “Hitler was the face of evil, perpetrating genocide against six million Jews and millions of other victims. Today, we are facing the evil of Islamic extremists who are attempting to instill fear and murdering the lives of innocent people from Paris to Nigeria to Jerusalem and all over the world.”
Weber said he was critical of Obama’s “actions or lack thereof,” as he expected the president to take a clear stand against the growing extremist threats.
“After World War II, the world made a commitment to ‘Never Again’ allow terror free reign,” Weber wrote.
“As demonstrated by the Paris Peace Rally, we must all –Christians, Jews, Muslims, leaders around the world and those willing to fight for freedom – unite and stand strong together against radical extremism in any form.”
The Times of Israel Community.