“May Your Conscience Haunt Your Dreams Until Your Last Breath”: Republican Senator Calls Son of Holocaust Survivor Antisemitic

Jo ShawNov 4, 2023

Minute Read

The MSNBC Morning Joe Show covered the bitter feud over antisemitism between Senator Josh Hawley, a 2020 election denier, and United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Hawley and Mayorkas came to blows over posts allegedly made by an employee of the DHS, calling Israel an “apartheid state” and posting calls to “Free Palestine.”

Committee Hearing Saw Major Clash

Editorial credit: Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing became the epicenter of a significant clash between Sen. Hawley and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas. Hawley suggested that the DHS was supporting antisemitism in the wake of reports that one of its employees had shared anti-Israel statements on social media following the Hamas attack.

“May Your Conscience Haunt Your Dreams”

An employee of the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly an Asylum and Immigration officer, called Israel an “apartheid state” along with posting, “May your conscience haunt your dreams until your last breath,” and “Palestine will be free one day.” The post had been partially blanked out as it contained expletives.

Employee Placed on Administrative Leave

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“Have you fired her?” Hawley asked Mayorkas. Mayorkas stated the employee had been placed on “administrative leave,” and he couldn’t speak further about “an ongoing personnel matter.”

DHS Employees Celebrating Genocide

Hawley, frustrated at Mayorkas’ steadfast refusal to answer further questions on the employee, accused the US Secretary of Homeland Security of condoning “employees that are celebrating genocide” [against Israel]

Hawley Said Mayorkas’ Performance Was “Despicable.”

Hawley then stated he thought Mayorkas’ performance as Secretary of DHS was “despicable” and his refusal to answer questions “atrocious.”

Mayorkas Requested to Respond

Looking decidedly aggravated in the committee hearing and having been given very little chance to answer many of Senator Hawley’s questions, Mayorkas asked, “Mr. Chairman, may I?” Mayorkas then shot back at Hawley.

Hawley’s “Despicable” Implications

“Number one, What I found despicable was the implication that this language, tremendously odious, actually, could be emblematic of the sentiments of the 260,000 men and women of the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas stated.

Mayorkas, Child of Holocaust Survivor

He continued, “Number two, Hawley takes an adversarial approach to me in this question, and perhaps he doesn’t know my own background. Perhaps he does not know I am the child of a Holocaust survivor.”

His Mother Lost Family

“Perhaps he does not know that my mother lost almost all her family at the hands of the Nazis, and so I find his adversarial tone to be entirely misplaced,” Mayorkas told the committee members.

Hawley Disrespectful of Mayorkas’ Heritage

“I find it to be disrespectful of me and my heritage, and I do not expect an apology, but I did want to say what I just articulated. Thank you,” he concluded.

Let’s Move On

After a very brief, uncomfortable silence, Hawley spoke up and said, “Mr. Chairman, can I just respond since he referenced me personally,” The Chairman responded, “Let’s move on.”

Hawley Smokes Mayorkas

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After the committee meeting, in an attempt to get over his rival, Senator Hawley’s Press Office posted on Twitter, “Hawley Smokes Mayorkas: DHS Sec. Confronted Over Anti-Israel Rhetoric in His Department.”

Scarborough Couldn’t Believe Hawley’s Response

However, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough picked up on the post and said, “So what, burn? What? In the ovens, Josh? Is that what you’re saying? Seriously? Like, no shame.” Scarborough added, “That is sick, and that’s exactly how they get away with it.”

Insulted All Holocaust Survivors

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Then asked a stunned Scarborough, “After you learned that his mother survived a concentration camp and her family was burned in the ovens of Auschwitz, would you really say, ‘I smoked Mayorkas.’”

Hawley Has No “Integrity.”

Co-host Willie Geist said, “Anyone with any integrity” would have said, “I’m so sorry. I did not know about your family’s history. Let’s talk about the policy.” “But of course, that’s not who Josh Hawley is any more to talk about policy,” said Geist.

“Comments Were Repulsive”

Senator Hawley’s comments were “repulsive,” said Joe Scarborough. “He’s completely, totally, utterly without shame.”

Mayorkas Accused of “Down Right Treason”

People took to social media to comment on the recent outburst. One user posted, “Mayorkas deserves impeachment in the very least. Arrest and prosecution for dereliction of duty, and down right treason it should be.”