Mike Huckabee says Iran deal is leading Israelis to 'the door of the oven'

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said on Sunday that he believes President Obama is marching Israelis straight to "the door of the oven" by agreeing to the Iran nuclear deal.

In an interview with Breitbart News, Huckabee also said Obama's "foreign policy is the most feckless in American history" and called the deal — which would see the U.S. and other nations lifting economic sanctions in exchange for Iran curbing nuclear capabilities and authorizing international inspections — "idiotic." When asked to clarify the "door of the oven" comment, campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart told CNN "the comment speaks for itself," and Huckabee went on to post the controversial quote to his Twitter.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is Jewish, was not thrilled with Huckabee invoking the Holocaust. "This rhetoric, while commonplace in today's Republican presidential primary, has no place in American politics," she said. "Cavalier analogies to the Holocaust are unacceptable. Mike Huckabee must apologize to the Jewish community and to the American people for this grossly irresponsible statement."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up