* Religious leaders are calling on state Sen. Scott Wagner, a Republican candidate for governor and wealthy York County businessman, to apologize for recently calling Holocaust survivor and wealthy businessman George Soros “a Hungarian Jew.”
* On Friday, Wagner told The Philadelphia Inquirer he was joking. That caused three rabbis and three Christian pastors to write a letter asking Wagner to apologize for his comments in light of his hope of becoming governor of all Pennsylvanians.
* “This type of hateful behavior has no place in our political environment,” the letter states. “We may have differences of opinion, different position on policy, and different ways at viewing the world. But there is absolutely no need to declare that people are un-American, especially because of another person’s religion or race.”
Allentown Morning Call: Pennsylvania candidate questions American ideals of ‘Hungarian Jew’
By Steve Esack
Religious leaders are calling on state Sen. Scott Wagner, a Republican candidate for governor and wealthy York County businessman, to apologize for recently calling Holocaust survivor and wealthy businessman George Soros “a Hungarian Jew.”
Standing on a street corner at a campaign event, Wagner muses to a Democratic operative’s video camera that it is great that America allows him to be followed. Wagner then questions how Soros could fund liberal causes considering how he was persecuted in his old country and found success when he immigrated to the United States. Soros must hate America if he is against the free-market system that made him wealthy, Wagner says in the video.
“You know what’s amazing is that a guy who came from Hungary, a Hungarian Jew, and made a fortune, and think where he came from, and he has an opinion of America that he does,” Wagner said. “It’s just amazing to me.”
The tracker, employed by Think Progress, then asks Wagner what he meant by mentioning Soros’ ethnicity.
Wagner replies, “I have a lot of friends who are Jewish.”
Quickly, Wagner’s campaign staff puts a stop to the interview, saying “this is exactly what they want.”
On Friday, Wagner told The Philadelphia Inquirer he was joking. That caused three rabbis and three Christian pastors to write a letter asking Wagner to apologize for his comments in light of his hope of becoming governor of all Pennsylvanians.
“This type of hateful behavior has no place in our political environment,” the letter states. “We may have differences of opinion, different position on policy, and different ways at viewing the world. But there is absolutely no need to declare that people are un-American, especially because of another person’s religion or race.”
Wagner was not trying to disparage Soros’ religion, his campaign manager Jason High told The Morning Call. Wagner was trying to explain how he doesn’t understand Soros’ liberal politics, High said, by questioning how Soros does not back free-market interests as a self-made man.
In May, Wagner was caught on video snatching another tracker’s camera and then stiff-arms him.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, opted not to file criminal charges against Wagner and the tracker, Chris Van Leeuwen, employed by American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal-leaning super-PAC based in Washington, D.C.
Wagner’s May 2018 primary opponent is Paul Mango, a western Pennsylvania businessman. The winner takes on Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in November 2018.
Read the article here.