White House: Helen Thomas' Remarks "Offensive and Reprehensible"
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that journalist Helen Thomas' recent remarks about Israel were "offensive and reprehensible" and "certainly" do not reflect the views of the Obama administration.
Thomas, highly revered for her decades of experience as a White House correspondent, has come under fire for saying that Israelis should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Germany and Poland. Her remarks were captured on a video posted on the Internet last week, and Thomas was subsequently dropped by her speaking agency and excoriated by her colleagues and former White House officials.
"Those remarks were offensive and reprehensible," Gibbs said today during a press briefing. Thomas was absent from the front row seat reserved for her in the White House press room.
"She should and has apologized," Gibbs continued. "Obviously, those remarks do not reflect the opinion, I assume, of most of the people in here and certainly not of the administration."
Watch Gibbs' comments below:
