Political reporter Jacob Kornbluh, who first tweeted about Jones' alleged apology, puts a clarification but it adds more confusion as a full text of the CNN host's controversial speech reveals the opposite.
- Dec 8, 2022
AceShowbiz - Van Jones previously landed in hot water after he reportedly issued an apology to Jewish people on behalf of black community for their silence amid anti-Semitic controversy at the UJA-Federation of New York Wall Street Dinner. Political reporter Jacob Kornbluh, who first tweeted about the report, however, has now clarified that he misquoted Jones.
In a follow-up tweet, Kornbluh wrote, "CLARIFICATION: @vanjones68 did not apologize for alleged Black silence about Kanye. To the contrary: he stressed that many in his community are speaking out forcefully. In speech, he said he was sorry that he + others didn't do more before Kanye. Apologies for any confusion."
The clarification, however, added more confusion as a news outlet revealed that Jones did apologize to Jewish people for black community's silence. Jewish Insider shared a full text and audio recording of the CNN host's speech at the event which took place on Monday, December 5. According to the report, Jones opened his speech by saying, "I am going to start off with an apology. I'm going to start off with an apology for the silence of my community and for the speech of my profession."
He continued, "When we were hit as a black community with appalling anti-black bigotry and racism that the whole world saw on a video, we expected and insisted that everyone stand and roar back against that hatred, and people did. By the tens of millions, people marched in a pandemic - by the tens of millions - non-black people, to say, 'We will not accept this sort of racism, this sort of violence, this sort of hatred on this planet.' People marched by the millions."
"... As a result, we now have the shock to you, the pain to you, and the humiliation to us of having an African-American icon praising Hitler and Nazis. And we act like we don't know where the hatred came from," Jones continued, referring to Kanye West. "And I want to say very clearly: When it was a drip, we did not turn it off. And now it is a flood. And I want to say to you, I apologize for the silence of my community. The silence is over. And I want to say to Kanye, who I know: Ye, nay! Ye, nay! Ye, nay! Ye, nay! No more, no more, no more."
He also noted, "I also owe you an apology for the speech of my profession. The media, of which I'm a part and a proud part, has done all of us a disservice. Because we have managed, I think, to convince you of something that's not true."
Following the initial report, Jones immediately came under fire as some Internet users criticized Jones for throwing the whole black community under the bus when it was Ye who offended the masses. "why when one of us do something, it reflects on ALL of us but if one of them do, it's an 'isolated situation'? apologize on behalf of Ye, leave us out of it," one person wrote in an Instagram comment.
Another person added, "Why the F is he apologizing for what someone else did? And who appointed him as some black leader or representative?" Someone on Twitter, meanwhile, wrote, "This is disgusting self aggrandizement. Van Jones doesn't speak for Black people but chooses to throw the entirety of Black America under the bus to get claps. Yuck."
