GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert just said some very questionable things about George Soros
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) thinks we're living in a dystopian novel — and that's not the only wild idea swimming through his brain.
On Thursday, the congressman appeared on Fox Business' Varney and Co. to discuss the rapidly plummeting stock market. Google's parent company Alphabet was among the businesses that saw diminishing shares in the past few days, and Gohmert suggested that was because "Google has repeatedly sold their souls" and invaded user privacy. He then compared that to the surveillance state George Orwell envisioned in his novel 1984.
Discussing Orwell soon reminded Gohmert of "another George," he said. Just like how Google was "born in a free country" but shifted to "oppress others," the Hungarian-born liberal philanthropist George Soros is "supposed to be Jewish" but went on to "damage" Israel, Gohmert alleged. Without any form of proof, Gohmert then claimed that Soros, who received a suspected pipe bomb in the mail in October and is frequently the target of anti-Semitic smears, "turned on fellow Jews and helped take the property that they own."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Gohmert drifted away from his Soros rant as quickly as he arrived at it, and host Stuart Varney didn't question his very unfounded claims. Later, Varney addressed the "unsubstantiated and false allegations" Gohmert had raised, assuring viewers "those views are not shared by me, this program, or anyone at Fox Business." Watch the moment below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Update 3:09 p.m. EST: This article was updated to reflect Varney's later statement regarding Gohmert's appearance.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Swiss bliss: Chenot Palace Weggis takes wellness to the next level
The Blend Heath retreat on Switzerland's Lake Lucerne offers a mid-winter reset
By Felix Bischof Published
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published