Adeel Raja caught the attention of commentators and news outlets on Sunday after providing ‘analysis’ on the ongoing violence between Hamas militants and the Israeli military.
“The world today needs a Hitler,” he wrote, before promptly deleting the message.
However, it was soon discovered that it wasn’t Raja’s first anti-Semitic outburst on social media. The journalist had penned several other tweets expressing admiration for Hitler and his campaign of extermination against the Jews.
In a tweet from 2014, he explained that he was rooting for Germany during the World Cup because “Hitler was a German and he did good with those jews!” In another message, he urged Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) to “please go to Israel ASAP.”
As pundits and outlets began highlighting the cache of troubling messages, CNN apparently felt compelled to clarify its relationship with the freelancer. The network said in a statement provided to the media that Raja has never been a CNN employee, explaining that he “contributed to some newsgathering efforts from Islamabad.”
“[I]n light of these abhorrent statements, he will not be working with CNN again in any capacity,” the network said.
Raja’s LinkedIn profile lists him as a “freelance contributor at CNN” who has penned pieces for the network on Pakistani affairs. His name appears on more than 50 pieces published on CNN’s website. As of Sunday evening, his CNN byline no longer links to an author profile. His most recent article for the network was published in September.
The scandal prompted many observers, particularly conservatives, to note the irony of CNN working with such an individual. For months, the network has been crusading against the alleged internal threat posed by “white supremacists” in the United States, a phrase that liberal pundits and outlets have repeatedly used to characterize Trump supporters.
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