No, thank you, Helen Thomas: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs calls anti-Semitic comments "reprehensible"Update, June 8: President Obama weighs in: "Offensive," but...
The oldest member of the White House press corps, Helen Thomas, has announced that she is retiring effective immediately, after comments made on video caused a firestorm of controversy.
A columnist for Hearst, Thomas declared in a video shot on May 27 by RabbiLivecom that Jews should "get the Hell out of Palestine, and "go home" to Germany or Poland or America. The video was shot during the first-ever White House reception for Jewish American Heritage Month, and took a while to make it around the blogosphere. Over the weekend it emerged as a heated topic, and at today's daily press briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs rebuked Thomas.
Thomas has had a front-row seat in the Press Briefing room for decades, and has been covering the White House for more than fifty years. She turned 89 on the same day as President Obama turned 48 in 2009, and during their co-birthday, he surprised her with cupcakes in the Briefing Room.
The video that led to Thomas' dramatic fall from grace:
"I think those remarks were offensive and reprehensible. I think she should and has apologized," Press Secretary Gibbs said today. "Obviously those remarks do not reflect the opinion, certainly, I assume, of most of the people in here, and certainly not of the administration."
Asked if President Barack Obama had offered a reaction to Thomas' remarks, Gibbs said: "I have not spoken with him directly on that."
Thomas was not present in the briefing room today.
A video from Politico with Gibbs' reaction:
Ms. Thomas has had an incredibly storied career as a member of the White House press corps. She was a path-breaking figure in DC journalism and fought for the right of women reporters to cover Washington stories on an equal basis with male reporters.
When she began coveri
ng President Kennedy, women were not allowed on the main floor of Washington’s National Press Club during major speeches by policymakers. And it was during the Kennedy years that Ms. Thomas created a WH tradition; she'd end press conferences by saying "Thank you, Mr. President."Your intrepid blogger, despite being a Jew, is sad to see Thomas' career end on such a foul note. Shalom, Helen Thomas. (Above: President Obama kisses Thomas after the birthday cupcake delivery)
Update, June 8: In an interview with Matt Lauer on Today show that aired in the morning, President Obama said: "Well, her comments were offensive. It is a shame, because Helen's someone who has been a correspondent through I don't know how many presidents — was a real institution in Washington. But I think she made the right decision."
Asked if he thinks her comments on Israelis will taint her legacy, President Obama said the remarks "were out of line, and hopefully she recognizes that."
