Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said on Monday that the controversial views of Pastor Robert Jeffress about Judaism and gays is “well-documented.”
Smith didn’t criticize the Trump administration’s decision to include Jeffress as part of the delegation sent to Jerusalem for the opening of the U.S. Embassy in that city.
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But he highlighted statements from 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a Mormon who has called the pastor “a religious bigot” on Twitter.
“One of the men who gave a prayer before the ceremony in Jerusalem today says he believes all Jews are going to hell,” Smith, who serves as Fox News’s chief news anchor, told his viewers.
“Robert Jeffress is the pastor at the first Baptist church in Dallas. His views on other religious groups, and Judaism, as well as the LGBT community, are well-documented,” he continued.
“Among those railing against the decision to include him is Gov. Mitt Romney,” said Smith, who then highlighted the former Massachusetts governor and Utah Senate candidate’s tweet about Jeffress that “such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer” at the embassy’s opening ceremony.
Smith also shared Jeffress’s views on Mormonism, Islam and the gay community.
“Jeffress said Mormonism has never been part of Christianity. Islam is a false religion and if you follow the tenants of it, you will end up in hell when you die,” he said. “He’s accused gays of being engaged in the most unclean acts you can imagine and said the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality is the greates,t most historic landmark blunder ever in the court’s history,”
“Reporters at the White House briefing today asked why he was chosen to bless this event,” he added. “The spokesman [Raj Shah] said the pastor has a longstanding relationship with people on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill and his remarks are one with which the president does not disagree.”
“Full disclosure, [Robert] Jeffress is a Fox News contributor,” Smith concluded.