On Media Blog Archives Select Date… December, 2015 November, 2015 October, 2015 September, 2015 August, 2015 July, 2015 June, 2015 May, 2015 April, 2015 March, 2015 February, 2015 January, 2015

NPR's Diane Rehm asks Bernie Sanders about Israeli citizenship rumors

WAMU radio host Diane Rehm falsely stated in an interview with Bernie Sanders on Wednesday that the Vermont senator has dual Israeli citizenship.

In an unusual exchange in the middle of the interview with the recently declared 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, Rehm said she got the information about his alleged citizenship from a "list." Rehm's show is heard on National Public Radio-affiliate stations across the country.

"Senator, you have dual citizenship with Israel," Rehm began, before Sanders interrupted.

"Well, no I do not have dual citizenship with Israel. I'm an American. I don't know where that question came from. I am an American citizen, and I have visited Israel on a couple of occasions. No, I'm an American citizen, period," Sanders said.

Sanders, who is Jewish, has visited Israel several times and spent several months working on a communal farm called a Kibbutz in the 1960s.

"I understand from a list we have gotten that you were on that list, forgive me if that is..." Rehm said.

As the site Jewish Journal noted, the list Rehm may be referring to seems to be one that has circulated on the Internet for several years concerning U.S. government officials and members of Congress who allegedly hold dual citizenship with Israel.

"That's some of the nonsense that goes on in the Internet. But that is absolutely not true," Sanders said.

Rehm then asked Sanders if there are other members of Congress who do have dual citizenship, or if it is "part of the fable."

Sanders said he did not know but that he was offended by her comment.

"I honestly don't know but I have read that on the Internet. You know, my dad came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket. He loved this country. I am, you know, I got offended a little bit by that comment, and I know it's been on the Internet. I am obviously an American citizen, and I do not have any dual citizenship," he said.

Listen to the interview here. The Israeli citizenship question comes in around the 24 minute mark.

We've reached out to the Diane Rehm show and Sanders' office for comment and will update here accordingly.

UPDATE (2:30p.m.):

In an email, Sanders spokesperson Michael Briggs said they have never heard that question before.

"Diane Rehm is an excellent radio host. There’s a great big Internet out there with lots of good and bad information. I’ve never heard the question come up before," Briggs said.

UPDATE (4:10p.m.):

Rehm said in a statement she had read that Sanders was a dual citizen in a Facebook comment but that she's happy to help put "this rumor to rest."

"On today's show I made a mistake. Rather than asking Senator and Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders whether he had dual U.S./Israeli citizenship, as I had read in a comment on Facebook, I stated it as fact. He corrected me, saying he did not know where the question came from. I apologized immediately," Rehm said. "I want to apologize as well to all our listeners for having made an erroneous statement. I am sorry for the mistake. However, I am glad to play a role in putting this rumor to rest."

UPDATE (6/11/2015):

At a CS Monitor breakfast on Thursday, Sanders said he likes Diane Rehm and that "she is a good radio interviewer” but that “somebody screwed up very badly” on her staff.

Rehm also apologized on her show on Thursday. She explained that a listener suggested via a Facebook comment that she ask Sanders about Internet speculation that he has dual citizenship with Israel.

"But instead of asking it as a question I stated it as fact, and that was wrong," she said.

This post has been updated to clarify that Diane Rehm is a WAMU radio host, whose show is heard on NPR-affiliated stations.