The White House went into damage control mode Tuesday as it tried to explain President Obama’s remark that the victims of an anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Paris were just “a bunch of folks” shot randomly.
The president made the comments during an interview with Vox and quickly came under fire from critics who said he was downplaying the attack and the motives of the terrorists who carried it out.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest took the unusual step Tuesday afternoon of clarifying on Twitter that Mr. Obama does, in fact, believe the attacks were motivated by anti-Semitism.
“Our view has not changed. Terror attack at Paris Kosher market was motivated by anti-Semitism. POTUS didn’t intend to suggest otherwise,” Mr. Earnest tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Earnest tried to explain away the comment in the face of intense questioning by White House reporters.
“The adverb that the president chose was used to indicate that the individuals who were killed in that terrible, tragic incident were killed not because of who they were, but because of where they randomly happened to be,” Mr. Earnest said.
Four people were killed in the deli attack in Paris last month on the heels of a shooting at the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.