Artist who drew anti-Semitic cartoon invited to White House
Ben Garrison drew this cartoon in 2017. It shows George Soros being manipulated by a hand of the Rothschilds, and Soros in turn manipulating Trump’s former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and retired General David Petraeus. (Ben Garrison/Twitter)
(JTA) — An artist who drew a cartoon that showed U.S. government officials as puppets of George Soros and the Rothschilds says he has been invited to the White House by President Donald Trump.
The Anti-Defamation League called Ben Garrison’s 2017 cartoon “blatantly anti-Semitic” and said that “the thrust of the cartoon is clear: (then-National Security Advisor H.R.) McMaster is merely a puppet of a Jewish conspiracy.”
The cartoon, which the ADL said was commissioned by right-wing radio host Mike Cernovich, shows liberal Jewish philanthropist George Soros pulling the strings of McMaster and former CIA director Gen. David Petraeus. Above Soros, a green hand labeled “Rothschilds,” the well-known Jewish banking family, manipulates him.
The Rothschilds often appear in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, which have them running a secretive international Jewish cabal that controls the world.
Cernovich is known for starting the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, which claimed falsely that the Clintons were running a pedophile ring in the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant.
Garrison tweeted an image of his invitation to the White House for a social media summit, saying he was “honored.”
Mark Mellman, who heads the Democratic Majority for Israel advocacy group issued a statement. “By inviting a cartoonist to the White House whose work the Anti-Defamation League calls ‘blatantly anti-Semitic,’ President Trump is, again, fanning the flames of hatred,” he said. “At a time when antisemitic incidents are increasing at an alarming rate, President Trump should withdraw his invitation to this purveyor of anti-Jewish hate and condemn all forms of bigotry.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper tweeted about the invite.
