Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) mentioned Vice President Vance’s speech about censorship was “pure hypocrisy.”
Gillen joined a CNN panel on Sunday, the place she weighed in on Vance’s speech in Munich lambasting European officers and accusing them of censoring speech they disagreed with.
“It’s pure hypocrisy,” Gillen mentioned. “What JD Vance is doing in Germany is really concerning.”
Gillen famous that for the reason that begin of the Israel-Hamas conflict, there was an increase in antisemitism in her district and throughout the U.S.
“The Anti-Defamation League has called out [Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)], and JD Vance is embracing a group that flirts with Nazism,” the New York Democrat mentioned. “It’s really, really disturbing.”
Vance met with a frontrunner of the AfD social gathering on Friday, making him the highest-ranking member to take action. The assembly befell forward of Germany’s nationwide elections on Feb. 23 and as world leaders collect in Munich for a safety convention.
The assembly, and Vance’s subsequent speech, drew sharp criticism. He argued that the largest risk dealing with Europe was not worldwide adversaries, however mass migration and legal guidelines that limit free speech, calling it a “threat from within.”
German officers didn’t obtain Vance’s message properly. German Protection Minister Boris Pistorius mentioned it was unacceptable for Europe to be likened to authoritarian regimes. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz additionally criticized Vance, saying his embrace of the AfD was “not appropriate.”
“It’s pure hypocrisy,” Gillen reiterated on the panel. “And let’s not forget the AfD is a party that’s being boosted by Elon Musk.”
Musk, the chief of President Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” has drawn criticism, too, for his embrace of the far-right political social gathering.
Final month, Musk appeared nearly at an AfD rally and urged attendees to not be ashamed of their nation’s historical past. He has additionally been accused by the German authorities of tampering with the nation’s elections.
