Right-wing pundit and anti-Semite Pat Buchanan will be featured as part of the relaunch early next year of the longtime prominent political talk show “The McLaughlin Group” on PBS.
Debuting in 1982 and airing for 34 years until host John McLaughlin’s death in August 2016, the show was known to pioneer the political panels so common now on television.
In the relaunched version, the host will be Washington Examiner commentary writer Tom Rogan and, in addition to Buchanan, include panelists Eleanor Clift of The Daily Beast and Clarence Page of The Chicago Tribune.
Buchanan, who ran for president in 1992, 1996 and 2000, has a history of making anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments. For example, he has called Capitol Hill “Israeli-occupied” territory, echoing an anti-Semitic trope about Jews controlling politicians.
The Anti-Defamation League denounced the inclusion of Buchanan in the relaunch of “The McLaughlin Group.”
“Especially as white supremacist violence surges, it is irresponsible and dangerous to give Pat Buchanan a public platform for his repugnant #antiSemitic, white supremacist and homophobic views. Public TV stations must keep this hate off the airwaves,” tweeted ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on Monday.
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Nonetheless, Rogan defended Buchanan’s presence on the show despite the latter’s viewpoints.
“I disagree with many of Pat’s foreign and domestic-policy views,” he told JNS. “But he has vast experience in and knowledge of U.S. and international politics and history. I believe the American political tradition is best served by vigorous intellectual debate, and I have no doubt that Pat and his fellow panelists look forward to the debates to come.”