Commentator Sean Hannity demands apology for article noting antisemitism claims

Fox News personality Sean Hannity demanded an apology and a retraction from the Jerusalem Post for reporting on accusations that his use of the word “Bolshevik” to describe Bernie Sanders had antisemitic connotations.

“I demand an immediate retraction & apology from the @Jerusalem_Post,” Hannity tweeted Friday evening. “Israel has no greater friend, ally and supporter in the U.S. than me. I have a record of unwavering and passionate support for the state of Israel for 33 years on radio and 25 years on TV.”

Hannity mentioned what he described as friendly relations with Israeli Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and the late Shimon Peres, which he misspelled Perez.

The Jerusalem Post article did not accuse Hannity of antisemitism but reported on social media pushback against a tweet Hannity posted on Friday saying “BOLSHEVIK BERNIE: Sanders Says Dems Just ‘Beginning to Create an Economy That Works For All’”. The Jerusalem Post traced the history of the use of the term “Bolshevism” as an antisemitic slander.

The Hannity tweet linked to an article on his website that did not itself mention Bolshevism, the totalitarian expression of Communism practiced in Russia throughout much of the 20th Century, but instead described the standard social democrat postures Sanders, who is Jewish, has advocated for decades.

Sanders, the Vermont senator, was the only serious rival to President Joe Biden during the 2020 primaries, challenging Biden from his left. Biden, after securing the nomination, brought Sanders in as an informal advisor, particularly on economic issues.

The Post did not apologise or retract the article but updated it with a statement from Hannity.