Donald Trump has made his bed, and now he lies in it. Notice I didn't write "lay." He lies in it, as in not telling the truth about racism and anti-semitism among his supporters.
Trump began his campaign by trolling the depths of the birthers, KKK hoods, neo-Nazis, free-agent racists and unaffiliated anti-semites to build his off-base base.
But Trump now denies their existence in the most implausibly denialistic of ways.
I don't know anything about David Duke.
- Donald Trump
David Duke, of course, is an American white nationalist, anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist, politician, and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He's as Amerikkkan as apple pie.
Now, as reported by Media Matters for America's Eric Hananoki, "CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviewed Trump on May 4 and asked if he would denounce the anti-Semitic death threats" against GQ writer Julia Ioffe who wrote a profile of Trump's third wife, Melania.
Trump refused to condemn the threats, saying he was unaware of them and adding, 'I don't have a message to the fans.'
This episode began innocently enough. Julia Ioffe, an award-winning writer on assignment for GQ, interviewed Melania Trump. (Editor's note: Julia Ioffe has written articles for Huffington Post,)
The piece was a surprisingly in-depth profile as the writer located a half-brother whose existence had not been previously reported.
But Melania tweeted her disapproval of the article.
In a later tweet, since deleted, Melania accuses the award-winning Ioffe of writing the article "looking to make a name for herself." The idea was dismissed by one Ali Gharib, apparently a follower of Ioffe.
But Melania's "protectors" went on the attack against GQ.
Melania's "protectors" also went after the writer, Julia Ioffe, herself.
Melania's "protectors" went after Ioffe in a particularly ugly way; via anti-semitic slurs. If this fact wasn't dispiriting enough, one must consider the reason for Ioffe's 1990 journey to America from Russia.
And then the anti-semites started posting their disgusting images, as reported by Ioffe, with her wry commentary.
There is one troubling image so vile we are not comfortable sharing it here. It can still be viewed on Julia Ioffe's twitter page. The following image, of Ioffe in nazi-camp garb, was supposed to be a depiction of Ioffe's fate in Concentration Camp Trump.
In all fairness, whoever posted these anti-semitic tweets might have nothing to do with Donald or Melania Trump, the KKK, Nazi Party or the Tea Party. They might have been coincidental yet random drive-bys on the information superhighway.
Or not.
In the never-ending cycle of anti-semitic attacks on jewish members of the press, Trump's supporters have moved on from Julia Ioffe to attack a journalist who came to her defense: the Jewish Wolf Blitzer of CNN. MSNBC's Christopher Hayes itweets the message delivered to Blitzer.
Donald Trump must be a good man. I refuse to believe a person one election away from potentially being the leader of the free world would not be a good man. Well, good man Trump, it's time to step up and denounce racism and anti-semitism, even if the vile work is done by those who support you, and even if done in defense of your wife.
And even if it causes you to lose the Hatriot vote.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
- Edmund Burke
There is a saying that if you go to bed with dogs, you wake up with fleas. Some of the people Donald Trump is in bed with are racist, anti-semitic dogs. He's got fleas. He's either got to use repellent and distance himself from them, or be repellent to good people.
Donald Trump: your move.