CNN anchor Dana Bash said she wasn’t certain whether a group of Neo-Nazis marching in Ohio were extremists from the far right or the far left during an interview with a Democratic lawmaker from the state — sparking fury among liberals on social media.
Bash, who was recently accosted by a left-wing pro-Palestinian demonstrator at a Philadelphia area synagogue, anchored Monday’s edition of CNN’s “Inside Politics” when she aired a viral clip showing around a dozen people carrying Nazi flags and yelling racial epithets in Columbus on Saturday.
“A group of Neo-Nazis paraded through that city wearing, waving swastikas, covering their faces,” Bash said to Rep. Greg Landsman. “This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened in Ohio in particular. And, of course, it’s continuing to spread. We don’t know what side of the aisle this comes from.”
Bash, who is Jewish, went on to remark that “typically Neo-Nazis are from the far right” before noting that Landsman “had protests from the far left at your House as a Jewish member.”
“Yeah, they slept outside my house for days,” Landsman replied, referring to pro-Palestinian supporters who have been demonstrating since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks by Hamas.
“My takeaway is this has got to stop. And the surge of antisemitism is global, but it’s certainly here in the United States, and it does require leaders on both sides of the aisle to say, ‘Don’t do that.’”
The comments were first reported by Mediaite.
Bash, who has had pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside her home and yell slogans denouncing her, then implicitly criticized Democrats, asking Landsman: “Is your party doing that enough?”
“I think some in my party are doing a ton, and some are silent,” he replied.
In May, Bash said that the anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses were “hearkening back to the 1930s in Europe.”
“And I do not say that lightly,” Bash said, adding: “The fear among Jews in this country is palpable right now.”
Bash was at the Main Line Reform Temple just outside of Philadelphia on Saturday when a woman from Code Pink, a leftist activist group, approached her, claiming to be a congregant, according to video of the incident posted to social media.
The woman, later identified online as Liz, falsely accused Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinians and called Bash “a mouthpiece” for Israel.
“Journalist @DanaBashCNN’s disbelief when confronted with facts about Israel’s policies raises a critical question: If you’re informing the public, Dana, shouldn’t you start by informing yourself?” the group said in X post sharing the video.
Bash was scathing in her response.
“You came to a place of Jewish worship, stood on the Bhima, near the holy Torah scroll, and pretended to be congregants. You have no shame, no decency, and no clue what you’re talking about,” the CNN anchor said.
In September, anti-Israel protesters heckled Bash at a book event in Washington, DC.