Sean Spicer apologises for Hitler chemical weapons blunder

Sean Spicer told CNN he was trying to make a point about Bashar Al Assad’s use of chemical weapons and gas against his people but 'mistakenly made an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which there is no comparison'.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has apologised for comparing the Holocaust to Syrian president Bashar Al Assad’s use of chemical weapons. His comments drew strong rebuke from Jewish groups and critics. Andrew Harni/AP Photo
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WASHINGTON // White House press secretary Sean Spicer has apologised for making an “inappropriate and insensitive” comparison to the Holocaust in earlier comments about Syrian president Bashar Al Assad’s use of chemical weapons – remarks that drew rebuke from Jewish groups and critics.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Mr Spicer sought to intensify criticism of Mr Al Assad, painting the Syrian leader’s suspected use of sarin nerve agent against civilians last week as historically evil.

“You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons,” the spokesman had said during the briefing, prompting outraged calls for his resignation.

Hours later, Mr Spicer appeared on CNN expressing regret for the comments, and saying he was trying to make a point about Mr Al Assad’s use of chemical weapons and gas against his people but “mistakenly made an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which there is no comparison”.

“For that I apologise. It was a mistake to do that,” he said.

Mr Spicer – the most public face of the Donald Trump’s administration after the president himself – has been a frequent target of ire and satirists for his angry denunciations of press coverage and sometimes loose grasp of the facts.

He was pilloried for his first appearance in the press briefing room in January, when he falsely insisted Mr Trump had the biggest inaugural audience ever.

“My comments today did not reflect the president’s, were a distraction from him and frankly were misstated, insensitive and wrong,” Mr Spicer told CNN. “Obviously it was my blunder.”

“Sean Spicer must be fired, and the president must immediately disavow his spokesman’s statements,” said top congressional Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

The New York-based Anne Frank Centre for Mutual Respect called on Mr Trump to fire Mr Spicer, saying he denied that Hitler gassed Jews during the Holocaust.

But a senior member of Israel’s government on Wednesday welcomed Mr Spicer’s apology. “Since he apologised and retracted his remarks, as far as [I] am concerned, the matter is over,” intelligence and transport minister Israel Katz said, citing the “tremendous importance of historical truth and remembrance” of the victims of the Holocaust.

Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said that while “using the issue of the Holocaust or Hitler is problematic on many levels,” he believed Mr Spicer had “genuinely and sincerely apologised”.

“We accept that and move on,” Mr Brooks said.

* Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters