Hugh Hewitt, a conservative political commentator and radio host, claimed “the Democratic Party has a Jewish problem” on Monday, in response to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s recent admission that the Harris campaign asked him if he was a “double agent for Israel.”
In an excerpt of Shapiro’s upcoming memoir, published in the New York Times on Sunday, the governor revealed that the Harris campaign asked him the question and others like it while vetting him to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.
Hewitt, who has long accused Democrats of being anti-religion in general, claimed on Fox News’s “America Reports” that Shapiro’s revelation means the entire Democratic Party doesn’t like Jewish people
“It’s astonishing to me that the Democratic Party has a Jewish problem,” Hewitt said, making a generalized statement.
“They don’t like them and the left wing is ascendant in the Democratic Party and it’s a burden that the Democratic Party candidates in 2028 are going to share with Governor Shapiro.”
In his book, Shapiro recounted how Harris’s team focused on his views of Israel. In addition to asking if he was a “double agent,” a member of the Harris team also reportedly asked the governor if he had ever “communicated with an undercover agent.”
Hewitt explained that the question about a Jewish person’s loyalty to Israel was a “classic trope” of the “ancient evil” – or the antisemitic conspiracy that all Jewish people are allied only to other Jewish people and thus cannot be trusted.
The recent disclosure has shocked political commentators and lawmakers.
Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer said if Shapiro’s recount is true, then the Harris campaign should explain why they asked the question.
“That kind of insinuation and targeting is antisemitism, plain and simple. No one should be judged or discriminated against because of their faith. We must do better,” Gottheimer said.
Shapiro, widely considered a Democratic presidential contender in 2028, says in his memoir that Harris’s team brushed aside his remarks about the question being “offensive.”
“Well, we have to ask,” the questioner responded before continuing.
Shapiro was among three contenders to run alongside Harris in the election. Ultimately, Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, but some political commentators questioned whether Shapiro was not chosen because he was Jewish.
Hewitt told “America Reports” that he believes the team asked Shapiro the question knowing it would elicit a negative reaction.
