A right-wing Republican congressman from Tennessee is standing by his labeling of George Soros as a “money changer of the worst kind,” using a long-standing antisemitic trope against the financier, who is Jewish.
“I’d say my voting record clearly reflects my support for Israel and the Jewish people,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said in a statement to HuffPost on Thursday. “Folks know what George Soros does with his billions of dollars and if they don’t, I’d say they should probably look into him a little further.”
The term “money changer” directly echoes an antisemitic conspiracy narrative about wealthy and powerful Jewish bankers secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes globally.
More specifically, in Christianity, it harks back to the biblical parable of Jesus throwing money changers out of a temple.
In discussing a Soros company purchasing debt of radio giant Audacy on “Fox & Friends First,” Burchett had said that during World War II there were restrictions on foreign ownership of radio stations.
“I think this is just an extension of that. You have a man that does not have America’s interests at heart. He wants to destroy this country. And that’s — he is a money changer of the worst kind. And he will destroy this country and the economy of it,” he said.
“This is why — more so than ever — we need Donald Trump in the White House,” Burchett added, referring to the GOP presidential nominee. “This kind of nonsense needs to stop.”
Neither of the Fox News hosts speaking to Burchett asked him about the comment. Instead, he was asked if Congress could stop the acquisition using its oversight process.
Soros, best known in financial circles for successfully betting on the British pound’s slide in 1992, has long been the target of antisemitic attacks for using his fortune to advance liberal and progressive causes.
Audacy has more than 220 radio stations and an estimated 200 million monthly listeners. It emerged from bankruptcy in September, saying it had reduced its debt load by about $1.6 billion. Soros’ company is estimated to have bought about $400 million of its debt.
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