New York, NY, August 13, 2020 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) has voiced deep concern over problematic remarks reportedly made by Col. Douglas Macgregor (ret.), who was recently nominated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
In a letter to Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) and Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, ADL raised concerns regarding reports of Col. Macgregor's highly troubling past remarks downplaying the importance of commemorating the Holocaust era, exaggerating the views and influence of “people who call themselves neocons,” as well as derogatory statements about Muslims and immigrants.
“We urge you to ensure that no nominee is confirmed for this important post unless he or she can genuinely allay the fundamental and egregious concerns we have raised and similar ones that may have been raised by others," wrote ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “We need an American ambassador in Berlin who will forcefully push back against antisemitism and the minimizing of the Holocaust, not somebody whose past statements indicate that he might encourage those hateful ideas."
ADL's letter noted that Col. Macgregor’s remarks, as recently reported by CNN, would also place him at odds with the overwhelming bipartisan consensus of Congress, as demonstrated by legislation passed in this Congressional session with the encouragement of ADL such as the Never Again Education Act as well as House and Senate resolutions that condemned antisemitic tropes about dual loyalty or Jewish power.