Buttigieg campaign says it will stop using 'Pharisees' to describe conservative Christians

A spokesperson for South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE’s (D) presidential campaign said Tuesday that the candidate will no longer use the term “Pharisee” to describe what he perceives as religious hypocrisy.

Buttigieg has repeatedly used the term in reference to Vice President Pence to accuse Pence of hypocrisy for serving in President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE’s administration while espousing conservative Christian values.

Progressive Jewish leaders have argued the use of the term as an insult has anti-Semitic undertones. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg referred back to an earlier tweet in which she said use of the term as an insult by non-Jewish people “has been used to murder & expel us for centuries–Inquisitions, pogroms, expulsions, the Holocaust, you name it.”

In response, Buttigieg spokesperson Lis Smith tweeted “We appreciate the people who have reached out to educate us on this. While intended to highlight political hypocrisy, we listened and learned and won’t be using it going forward.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Pharisees were a Jewish sect that existed in the first century, and are depicted in the New Testament as frequently in conflict with Jesus. “When you see someone, especially somebody who has such a dogmatic take on faith that they bring it into public life, being willing to attach themselves to this administration for the purposes of gaining power, it is alarmingly resonant with some New Testament themes, and not in a good way,” Buttigieg told The Washington Post in reference to Pence.

The controversy, and Buttigieg’s pledge, echo an earlier story in which the 37-year-old used the phrase “all lives matter” in a speech. Buttigieg said he was not aware of controversy over the phrase, which racial justice advocates have claimed deliberately minimize the hardships faced specifically by black Americans.