Watch: Julián Castro Refuses to Condemn Omar, Tlaib Antisemitism

Presidential hopeful Julián Castro (D) told Breitbart News in CNN’s spin room following Tuesday night’s debate that he does not believe Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) are antisemitic despite their history of controversial comments.

“Of course I don’t believe in any kind of antisemitism,” Castro said.

“So will you condemn Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for their antisemitism?” Breitbart News’s Aaron Klein asked.

“I don’t know which comment you’re talking about, so all I can speak to is, and I believe — I don’t believe that they are antisemitic,” Castro said.

The presidential hopeful was presented with Omar’s remark about support for Israel being “all about the Benjamins,” but he willfully ignored the example.

“I don’t believe they are –” Castro began as he walked away, refusing to address Omar’s specific remarks.

The far-left “Squad” members have a well-documented history of questionable racist statements, as Breitbart News has extensively detailed:

Omar has a long history of anti-Israel statements that have included antisemitic themes, such as suggesting that Jews control the world. In 2012, she tweeted: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” Local Jewish community leaders in Minnesota staged an intervention before she took up her seat in Congress — to no avail; she continued making offensive anti-Israel and antisemitic statements.

In February, Omar tweeted, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” suggesting (falsely) that a pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), bribed members of Congress to support Israel. The implication was that Jews were using money to control Congress. Omar apologized for that tweet, but went on, a few weeks later, to claim that pro-Israel members of Congress owed “allegiance to a foreign country.” The chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a fellow Democrat, called her statement a “vile antisemitic slur,” but she refused to apologize.

Omar’s remarks in February — “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” — eventually sparked House Democrats to pass a resolution aimed at condemning antisemitism. However, the resolution was broadened to cover various forms of hate and failed to mention Omar by name.

Tlaib has also come under fire for antisemitic remarks.

As Breitbart News reported:

Tlaib believes that the State of Israel has no right to exist and should be dismantled — a stance that lost her the support of the far-left J Street organization, which likes to maintain the pretense of support for a two-state solution.

In January, Tlaib posted an antisemitic tweet, declaring that members of Congress who supported Israel “forgot what country they represent.” The American Jewish Committee accused her of using an antisemitic claim of “dual loyalty.”

In February, Tlaib called Housing and Urban Development official Lynne Patton, a black woman, a “prop” for appearing in the gallery during a hearing where members of Congress were debating whether Trump was racist.

In May, Tlaib made the bizarre statement that she felt “a calming feeling … when I think of the Holocaust.” She explained by making the false claim that Palestinians had offered Jews a “safe haven” from the Holocaust.

Tlaib, Omar, and “Squad” ringleader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are expected to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) presidential bid, according to reports that coincided with Tuesday’s political event.

Castro, who failed to score a high-profile “Squad” endorsement, did not experience a breakout moment during Tuesday’s debate. He did not crack one percent in the Drudge Report’s online post-debate poll (as of midnight), signaling a lack of enthusiasm amongst his supporters.