CHUTZPAH

Why Daily Caller Deleted This Seemingly Anti-Semitic Video of Glenn Thrush

The short video featured The New York Times reporter repeatedly saying the word “chutzpah” as “Hava Nagila” played in the background.

Maybe there is such as thing as going too far for The Daily Caller.

On Thursday, the conservative website founded by current Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson, posted a video on YouTube of New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush saying the word “chutzpah” over and over again on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show as the song “Hava Nagila” played behind him.

Since Thrush retired his own Twitter account to avoid the “distraction” at the beginning of the week, it was left to his friend and Times colleague Maggie Haberman to question the video’s existence on her account Thursday afternoon.

In response, The Daily Caller tweeted this mysterious message:

Now, as Daily Caller gossip columnist Betsy Rothstein has explained, the whole thing was one big misunderstanding. She revealed that she was the one behind the video, and rather than take it down because of its clear anti-Semitic undertones, she removed it because it “was accidentally released too soon” and “lacked proper context.”

“I was in awe of @GlennThrush 's perfect pronunciation of the word ‘"chutzpah’" and thought it would make for a funny video. So I asked for it,” Rothstein, who pointed out that she is also Jewish, wrote on Twitter. “I have a rapport with @GlennThrush and felt certain he'd find it funny as well. It was in no way intended to mock his religion.” She said she called Thrush this afternoon and they laughed about the whole thing.

“The whole thing was meant to be funny and lighthearted — which are two things Washington is severely lacking right now,” Rothstein added.

Leaving aside the fact that there was nothing particularly “funny” about the video, the whole thing would be less offensive if The Daily Caller didn’t have a history of posting articles written by white nationalists. That’s all the “context” most people needed to understand why the website’s readers might find it so hilarious.

Raw Story’s Sarah Burris shared the video on her YouTube page after The Daily Caller took it down. So in case you missed it, here it is.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Matt WilsteinSenior Editor

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.