Dana Bash defends John Fetterman’s comparison of Columbia protests to Charlottesville amid antisemitic sentiments

CNN’s Dana Bash did not explicitly agree with Senator John Fetterman comparing anti-Israel protests at Columbia to Charlottesville during a recent interview on NewsNation. However, she stated that he was “not wrong” in making the comparison due to the presence of antisemitic sentiments among some protest leaders and their defenders using similar language as college presidents dealing with monocultures. Fetterman himself strongly condemned such attitudes during his interview, stating that there is a germ of antisemitism present within these protests and calling for Hamas to be neutralized in order to achieve true peace. He also reiterated support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas while criticizing the lack of discussion surrounding this issue. Fetterman further explained his stance on being more empathetic since experiencing a stroke, including expressing newfound Republican support and stating that he does not consider himself as progressive due to changes in how others interpret the term.