Diane Rehm ‘messed up’ with claim of dual citizenship, Sanders says

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Thursday NPR host Diane Rehm “messed up” during an interview in which she claimed the 2016 presidential candidate held dual citizenship with Israel.

“I like Diane Rehm; she’s a good radio interviewer,” Sanders said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters. “I don’t know where she got it. I suspect that her staff gave her a list of questions, and she messed up.”

{mosads}The Vermont senator said he’s not sure where the rumors started, but said he’s seen them circulating on the Internet.

On Wednesday, Sanders repeatedly denied in a radio interview that he held dual citizenship with Israel, calling the allegations “nonsense.”

“Senator, you have dual citizenship with Israel,” Rehm said on “The Diane Rehm Show.”

“Well, no, I do not have dual citizenship with Israel,” Sanders responded, adding that he was “offended” by the suggestion.

“I’m an American,” he said. “I don’t know where that question came from.”

Rehm later apologized for the exchange, saying that the claim stemmed from a Facebook comment she came across.

“I want to apologize as well to all our listeners for having made an erroneous statement,” Rehm said. “I am sorry for the mistake. However, I am glad to play a role in putting this rumor to rest.”

The exchange stoked the ire of the National Jewish Democratic Council, which called the comments “appalling” and “completely indefensible.”

Sanders on Thursday said he’s “proud to be Jewish” but that he’s “not particularly religious.”