Tom Wright-Piersanti, a New York Times politics editor, on Thursday deleted and apologized for past “offensive” tweets he posted about Jewish people about a decade ago, and the newspaper is “reviewing next steps.”
The incident comes just about a week after the Times demoted a different editor based in Washington, D.C. for posting questionable tweets about people of color.
Wright-Piersanti’s tweets were first unearthed by Breitbart, which captured screen-grabs of several of the now-deleted tweets. In 2009 and 2010, Wright-Piersanti posted several offensive tweets aimed at Jewish people and Indians. But the Breitbart piece goes beyond the pale to try to use the decade-old posts as proof of rampant anti-Semitism within the New York Times. The piece includes quotes from the likes of Seb Gorka, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell and Donald Trump Jr. adviser Arthur Schwartz.
The piece even quotes an unidentified former White House official calling the tweets an examples of “how liberal media continues to condone, promote, and celebrate racism.”
In one of the tweets, Wright-Piersanti posted a picture of a vehicle with a Menorah on the roof and said: “Who called the Jew police?” In another, he claimed his New Year’s resolution was to be “less anti-Semitic.”
“I was going to say ‘Crappy Jew Year,’ but one of my resolutions is to be less anti-Semitic. So… HAPPY Jew Year. You Jews,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet from 2010. Breitbart pointed out several others that disparaged “mohawk Indians,” which appear to still be publicly available.
There are four indian guys with mohawks in this one class, and each one is a douche in his own awful way. I hate mohawk Indians
— Tom Wright-Piersanti (@tomwp) December 8, 2009
Wright-Piersanti posted an apology on Twitter after Breitbart’s story was published on Thursday.
I have deleted tweets from a decade ago that are offensive. I am deeply sorry.
— Tom Wright-Piersanti (@tomwp) August 22, 2019
A New York Times spokesperson told TPM that the newspaper was “aware” of the tweets: “We are aware of these tweets, which are a clear violation of our standards. We are reviewing next steps.”
Earlier this month, the Times demoted Washington editor Jonathan Weisman after he recently posted several problematic tweets suggesting that nonwhite members of Congress weren’t actually from the Midwest or the South because their districts included major cities.
Several prominent conservatives seized on Wright-Piersanti’s tweets to accuse the Times of anti-Semitism, including Trump Jr. and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Disgusting. But we shouldn’t expect any better from the New York Times. This is who they are.
‘Crappy Jew Year’: New York Times Editor Antisemitism, Racism Exposed https://t.co/ZHpBes81x1 via @BreitbartNews
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 22, 2019
Once again, the @nytimes condones antiSemitism. As the far Left and MSM lionizes antiSemites, vilifies israel, and stokes racial tension, will there be any accountability at the NYT? https://t.co/OUZt2GzF2T
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 22, 2019
