Story highlights The comment came during a brief question and answer session with the President at the White House

Trump condemned the threats and vandalism as "reprehensible"

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump confused many in a meeting Tuesday with state attorneys general when he suggested that recent threats made against the Jewish community might have been committed "to make others look bad" and that in terms of the threats, "the reverse can be true."

The comment came during a brief question and answer session with the President at the White House after Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro noted hate crime incidents across the country -- including bomb threats against three Jewish schools and the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in his home state in the last few days.

"Can you tell me what is being done so that the federal and state governments work together to combat this?" Shapiro told CNN he said to Trump.

The President said three things in response, Shapiro recalled.

First, the President condemned the threats and vandalism as "reprehensible." He also noted that he was going to address the matter in his speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening.

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