Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, denounced the “demonization of all political opponents” after bombs were sent to his father, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Obama.
Soros wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that his father has faced “plenty of attacks” for his work with pro-democracy groups, liberal causes and Democratic candidates, but that the rhetoric escalated after President Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016.
“Before that, the vitriol [George Soros] faced was largely confined to the extremist fringes, among white supremacists and nationalists who sought to undermine the very foundations of democracy,” Alexander Soros wrote. “But with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, things got worse.”
{mosads}”A genie was let out of the bottle, which may take generations to put back in, and it wasn’t confined to the United States,” he added.
Soros wrote that while responsibility for this week’s bomb threats falls on the individual or individuals responsible for sending them, they reflect a broader “political demonization” that has become standard.
“We must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents,” Soros wrote. “A first step would be to cast our ballots to reject those politicians cynically responsible for undermining the institutions of our democracy. And we must do it now, before it is too late.”
Authorities responded to George Soros’s home in Westchester County, N.Y., late Monday after an employee discovered what appeared to be an explosive device in the mailbox. Soros was not home at the time, but the device was “proactively detonated.”
Right-wing groups and some Republican politicians have recently increased their criticism of Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who has supported liberal causes, human rights efforts and Democratic politicians.
Some conservatives have painted George Soros as a villain associated with conspiratorial plots and subjected him to anti-Semitic slurs. Roseanne Barr falsely claimed Soros is a Nazi in a May tweet that was shared by the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), an ardent supporter of President Trump, recently spread a conspiracy theory that Soros was funding a caravan of Central American migrants.
On Wednesday, similar explosive devices were sent to the homes of Clinton and Obama. Another package reportedly addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan was mailed to CNN’s New York City office.
None of the devices detonated before they were intercepted by authorities.
Trump has offered a lone tweet on the matter, saying he “wholeheartedly agrees” with Vice President Pence’s condemnation of the “despicable” threats. Numerous other GOP and Democratic lawmakers have spoken out to condemn the bomb threats.