The number of deputy district attorneys continues to grow Los Angeles He says he worries about anti-Semitism in the office because his boss remained silent on the issue for months, culminating in clashes between anti-Israel agitators and counter-protesters outside a synagogue in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood of the city.
Violence erupted outside the Adas Torah synagogue on Pico Boulevard last week, drawing condemnation from several prominent Democrats, including President Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
But according to several Los Angeles prosecutors, there was notable silence from District Attorney George Gascón, who is tasked with prosecuting criminal acts in connection with the clashes.
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LAPD officers clash with anti-Israel protesters outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles on June 23, 2024. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
“I hate going to work and walking into a building where I feel like my boss is going to treat me differently just because I’m Jewish, and that’s how I and a lot of other people feel,” said Brian Sheeran, a senior prosecutor in the D.A.’s narcotics division.
Key issues that Shiran and the other deputy district attorneys raised included Gascón’s slow response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, his support of local political groups accused of being anti-Semitic, including the People’s City Council, which was described as “Blatantly anti-Semiticby the Los Angeles chapter of the American Jewish Council; and the fact that one-third to half of the nearly two dozen whistleblower retaliation lawsuits filed by fellow deputy district attorneys have come from Jewish plaintiffs.
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They say he took an aggressive stance after pro-Israel counter-protesters joined the Adas Torah clashes, but not against the anti-Semitic mob that started the incident. They say Jewish prosecutors have been bypassed for more than a dozen promotions to key deputy positions. And they say Gascón spoke out about Hamas’s October 7 bloody rampage in Israel only after a letter from more than 130 employees asked him to do so.
Clashes between pro-Israel and anti-Israel protesters blocking access to the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles on June 23, 2024. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
He did not mention Hamas or any of its experiments in his response to the petition. The term “anti-Semitism,” But in a statement to Fox News Digital, Gascón’s office condemned anti-Semitism and “all forms of hate” by name.
“The District Attorney’s Office condemns all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism, and takes allegations of discrimination seriously,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Any suggestion that the DA’s Office sympathizes with organizations that promote hate, discrimination, violence or terrorism is unfounded. Our approach to prosecuting demonstrations and counter-protests is driven solely by principles of law and justice, with no bias toward any group.”
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According to one retaliation suit, Deputy District Attorney Amy PentzThe Jewish woman was invited to join the office’s “Equity Action Team.” After just one meeting, in which she thanked the panel for including her and said she was concerned about anti-Semitism, she was kicked out of the group “under the pretext that there were too many lawyers on the panel,” according to court documents.
Another deputy D.A. suing for alleged retaliation is John Levin, a veteran cold case prosecutor who recently came home early from vacation to help with a murder trial.
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Pro-Israel and anti-Israel protesters debate opposing views near the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles on June 23, 2024. (Zoe Cranfill/Los Angeles Times via AP)
“I don’t know what George Gascón personally believes, but from what I can tell, he personally doesn’t believe in anything other than furthering his own political ambitions,” said Levin, who is Jewish. “Whether he is an anti-Semite at heart, I don’t know. But the people around him and the groups that support him are certainly anti-Semites.”
He said he objected to Gascón’s dismissal of charges against anti-Israel protesters camped out at UCLA, after which he reportedly said he would take action against counter-protesters “to the fullest extent of the law.”
Video of the standoff at the synagogue shows scuffles breaking out between anti-Israel protesters and counter-protesters. At one point, a woman can be seen curled up in a fetal position on the ground while the crowd pins her down and kicks her.
George Gascon standing next to Tiffini Blacknell. (Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office)
“The fact that he outwardly says he will deal with the cases of Jewish suspects with the full force of the law, and on the other hand says he’s not going to do anything with the protesters, is shameful and a clear sign of anti-Semitism,” Sheeran said. “And everything he has done, with the support of people who are filled with Jew hatred, through his actions as district attorney, is appalling, and the public needs to know that so that when they vote, they are informed about what this district attorney will and will not do.”
Gascón’s opponent in the upcoming election, Nathan HochmanHe argued that the current president’s silence on anti-Semitic protests on college campuses and outside the Adas Torah synagogue sends the wrong signals to those standing behind him.
He said “hateful and reprehensible” speech is protected by the First Amendment, but rioting, violence and hate crimes are not.
He said when words turn into illegal conduct, it’s the D.A.’s responsibility to do something about it.
“You were President Biden “In commenting on the Adas Torah Synagogue on Sunday, Governor Newsom called it appalling, Mayor Bass called it disgusting,” Hochman told Fox News Digital. “But one person was missing, the person in charge of all the prosecutions, all the felony prosecutions — the district attorney. Not just in regards to this incident, but his being silent in the background emboldens criminals,” Hochman said.
Joseph Iniguez, Jorge Gascon, Richard Ceballos and Rachel Rossi attend the Reform LA Jails Summit + Day Party: Mental Health Matters on November 9, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Patrisse Cullors)
Gascón’s office denied the allegations of anti-Semitism and said he was working to once again expand the Equity Action Team.
“With regard to promotions and representation in our office, we are dedicated to a fair and transparent process that values the qualifications and contributions of all of our employees,” the statement added. “We are actively working to ensure that our equity and diversity panel reflects a broad spectrum of our community, including Jewish representation.”
Hochman said there are unqualified employees working at the highest levels of the D.A.’s office.
Police equipped with anti-riot equipment attempt to restore order at the scene after violent clashes broke out between supporters and opponents of Israel outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)
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Gascón’s No. 2 chief is deputy D.A. Joseph IñiguezRecently released video footage shows police arguing with him after they tried to perform field sobriety tests on his then-fiancee. His former No. 3, Diana Teran, faces 11 felony counts. And his chief of staff, Tiffany Blacknell, is a former public defender who has been criticized for calling for the abolition of prisons, calling police “savage” and claiming she has called police “savage.” I am a robber Criticizing “Westside White Liberals” during the 1992 Rodney King riots.
“The fact that these three people who have led the DA’s office under Gascón are either unqualified, underqualified or have just been accused of criminal conduct is indicative of Gascón’s appalling incompetence in running that office,” Hochman told Fox News Digital. “And if you add in the 20-plus lawsuits that he’s retaliated against, it just helps solidify the fact that Gascón is not fit to be DA and really cannot serve as an effective DA.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
