Monday on CNN’s “The Lead,” while discussing a controversial tweet from presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump featuring an image of Hillary Clinton, money and a six-pointed star likened to the Star of David, former Obama administration green jobs czar Van Jones said this pattern of “now dozens of these things,” is starting to look like “part of some strategy to wink and nod” to hate groups.
Jones said, “Listen, lots of stuff happens on Twitter. But usually if you accidentally re-tweet something from some horrible hate group, first thing out of your mouth—’I’m sorry.’ You can’t stop yourself. ‘Oops!’ Nothing like that from the Trump campaign. This is why people start thinking — after now dozens of these things, is this a part of some strategy to wink and nod. Also how are you finding this stuff? There is a dark underworld there on Twitter but you’ve got go look for it.”
When asked if the tweets are a “dog whistle,” to intentionally reach out to voters who have these view, Jones said, “I think it deserves serious conversation. A lot of people say ‘Well I think Donald Trump is a racist,’ Well, I don’t think you have to get into his heart. What you have to look at is what is the strategy. If you don’t want this kind of support, you come out and give a speech. Remember? Barack Obama, President Obama, senator at the time, he got in trouble because someone associated with him said some very offensive stuff. He came out after Reverend Wright said that, gave a full speech on race trying to clarify exactly where he was coming from. If after several dozen times now you step on the same banana peel, if you don’t want support from white nationalists, you should come out and give a powerful speech. The silence is starting to speak louder than anything else.”
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