The news outlet justified the action by saying people should be reminded of the miserable event
The Twitter team of Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived communications director of the White House under the Trump administration reposted a Twitter poll about the number of Jewish victims during the Holocaust. The question attracted controversy from the time it was sent out. When Scaramucci was questioned about it, he said the action can be termed an educational exercise. The controversy took a toll on Scaramucci's income and career. He lost at least one speech program due to the outcry.
Anthony Scaramucci Grilled for Misleading Holocaust Poll, Apologizes and Reposts it Anyway[/tweetthis]
Scaramucci's news outlet, unimaginatively named Scaramucci Post, tweeted the poll on October 17. Subscribers to his Twitter feed were presented a question on the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust. Multiple answers were offered for the reader to choose from: “fewer than 1 million”, “1 million to 2 million”, “2 million to 3 million” and “more than 5 million”. What was noticeable is that the option of 6 million, the correct historical figure, was not present as an option.
The outcry which soon followed drew a sharp rebuke from the anti-Semitism watchdog, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The organization pointed out that this poll could strengthen Holocaust deniers since the majority of the responses offered are skewed towards the lower end of the spectrum, and the most accurate response is still 1 million off from the actual death toll.
Lance Laifer, Scaramucci's partner in Scaramucci Post, took responsibility for the survey post. The tweet was subsequently removed. Laifer also apologized, saying sorry to everyone who was offended.
Scaramucci also did his part, promising to donate a sum of money, $25,000, to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which fights anti-Semitism. Both Scaramucci and Laifer then retweeted the poll, with an additional sentence urging readers to vote on the poll and retweet it too. The two also said that this action will stop anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers to control this poll.
We are putting the poll back up because if it helps educate even just one person it will have been a worthwhile endeavor for us.
— ScaramucciPost (@ScaramucciPost) October 20, 2017
The re-post action was defended by the Scaramucci Post. It said the poll was being conducted to make people aware of the Holocaust. It said people are forgetting the monstrous event. The news outlet said it is worrying when it comes to the disinformation campaign concerning the genocide. It said the poll was reposted because even if one person is educated, the endeavor will be a worthwhile one. The Scaramucci Post also criticized the 'mob-like attitude' of the press against the Holocaust tweets.
If a college "educated just one person" it would be rated the worst college, unless it's Trump University & you ask @POTUS to grade it.
— WH Customer Service (@POTUS_CustServ) October 20, 2017
It's disgusting that Anthony Scaramucci's website would post a poll asking, "How many Jews were kill in the Holocaust?". You can't change history! Stop belittling my ancestors you worthless piece of garbage!
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) October 17, 2017