PBS’ Gwen Ifill is defending herself from claims she took a cheap shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday, arguing that one of her tweets about the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran has been mischaracterized.
The White House, which secured enough votes in the senate this week to ensure Congress can’t scuttle the nuclear agreement, tweeted out a chart under its #TheIranDeal Twitter profile showing Tehran’s nuclear program would be contained under the deal.
Ifill replied to the White House-sponsored tweet with a three-word message: “Take that, Bibi.”
Her note sparked anger online, including from members of the press, as many said it appeared to be a direct knock at Netanyahu and his now-failed attempt to kill the Iran deal in Congress.
Under the agreement, the United States and other countries have agreed to ease economic restrictions on Iran in return for guarantees that Tehran will scale back its nuclear program. The nuclear deal will unfreeze more than $100 billion of Iran’s assets.
Iran is an “active” state sponsor of terrorism, and has “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism,” according to the State Department.
Ifill, whose employer claims to rely largely on federal funding, maintains that she was merely paraphrasing the White House’s tweet.
The note to which Ifill is referring reads, “With the #IranDeal, Iran’s program is significantly less dangerous,” and makes no mention of Netanyahu. But it does include a bomb diagram similar to the one Netanyahu presented to the United Nations in 2012.
With the #IranDeal, Iran’s program is significantly less dangerous. This is what that famous drawing looks like now: pic.twitter.com/ZsOy3Il4S7
— The Iran Deal (NARA) (@TheIranDeal) September 2, 2015
Ifill was at first amused by the Twitter backlash, writing, “[E]very now and then, you inadvertently poke twitter in the eye. [A]nd it never disappoints.”
She later turned a bit more serious, explaining in better detail what she meant with her original message.
“I was [re-tweeting] a @TheIranDeal tweet,” she wrote. “Should have been clearer that it was their argument, not mine.”
In 2004, Ifill moderated the vice presidential debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C. Later, in 2008, she moderated a vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
A spokesperson for PBS did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
