Limbaugh lies in defense of his comments about Jewish people on Wall Street

Calling for Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to apologize to him, Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that he was referring only to what “Jew-haters” believe when he made comments about Jewish people on Wall Street. In fact, while Limbaugh did discuss what he said people with prejudice believe, he also clearly stated -- as fact and in his own voice -- that “a lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there's starting to be some buyer's remorse there.”

Limbaugh falsely claimed he was referring only “to the Jew-haters”

Limbaugh falsely claimed his comments about Jewish people on Wall Street referred only to what “Jew-haters” believe. On January 22, Limbaugh responded to ADL national director Abraham Foxman's press release calling on Limbaugh to apologize for his January 20 statement that a “lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there's starting to be some buyer's remorse there.” On more than one occasion on January 22, Limbaugh said he “was referring to Jew-haters” in his January 20 comments. For instance, Limbaugh stated: “I was referring to the Jew-haters, the bigots. Twice I referred to prejudiced people”:

LIMBAUGH: I was referring to Jew-haters, and Mr. Foxman, this is what's been omitted from what you read that I said. I was alluding to what you know exists. You know that there are Jew-haters out there and I know there are Jew-haters out there and many of them are in the Obama administration or in his circle of friends.

And Mr. Foxman, if you really want to go after anti-Semitism, you should first start looking at it on the left and within the Obama administration and within his circle of friends because that's where you're going to find it. You're not going to find anti-Semitism on this radio show. You're going to find nothing but love and respect and admiration for the Jewish people and an unwavering support for Israel. That has not ever shaken. I was referring to the Jew-haters, the bigots. Twice I referred to prejudiced people.

Limbaugh's comment that “a lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish” was made in his own voice. While Limbaugh did mention what “people who have prejudice” think, he clearly made the following comment in his own voice: "[A] lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there's starting to be some buyer's remorse there." From the January 20 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show [emphasis added]:

LIMBAUGH: If you have often wondered just out of, you know, a legitimately curious political sense -- if you have asked yourself why are so many Jewish people, liberal, what when it seemed so much of what liberals do would be anathema to Jewish people, particularly abortion, but any number of things -- taxes, tax increase. Look it -- you know something, folks?

There are a lot of people, when you say banker, people think Jewish. People who have prejudice, people who have, you know -- what's the best way to say -- a little prejudice about them. To some people, bankers -- code word for Jewish -- and guess who Obama's assaulting? He's assaulting bankers. He's assaulting money people. And a lot of those people on Wall Street are Jewish. So I wonder if there's starting to be some buyer's remorse there.

Anyway, if you've -- if you have often asked that question, if you've been puzzled by so many Jewish people vote liberal or vote Democrat, you -- give Norman's book a shot. It's called, Why Jews are Liberals? He's Jewish and he would know. And it's -- look, it's a good read. And Norman [Podhoretz] is a -- there's no other way to say it -- he's a profound intellectual but he's not an egghead elitist. And he's written this book with an effort to have anybody that reads it understand exactly what he is talking about.

Limbaugh: Many “Jew-haters” are “in the Obama administration.” During his attack on Foxman, Limbaugh also said that many Jew-haters “are in the Obama administration or in his circle of friends”:

LIMBAUGH: I was referring to Jew-haters, and Mr. Foxman, this is what's been omitted from what you read that I said. I was alluding to what you know exists. You know that there are Jew-haters out there and I know there are Jew-haters out there and many of them are in the Obama administration or in his circle of friends.

Limbaugh: "[O]ne of my closest friends is Mark Levin. Everybody knows this. Mark Levin is Jewish." On January 22, during his attack on Foxman, Limbaugh also stated: “I have to tell you, folks, one of my closest friends is Mark Levin. Everybody knows this. Mark Levin is Jewish. Mark Levin is disgusted with Abraham Foxman. What I've come to learn through this episode is how many Jewish people are disgusted with Abraham Foxman and have been for many years.”