Jerusalem Post responds to attack in Clinton e-mails calling paper 'Likud organ'
Steve Linde, editor-in-chief of the Post, rejected Blumenthal's comments, characterizing the newspaper as "proudly independent."
By MICHAEL WILNERUpdated: FEBRUARY 21, 2016 21:34US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks with supporters during a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire(photo credit: REUTERS)
WASHINGTON -- The Jerusalem Post pushed back on Sunday against characterization of the newspaper as politically slanted by an informal adviser to former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton.The assertion, leveled by longtime Clinton family confidant Sidney Blumenthal, was discovered in a recent batch of e-mails released by the State Department from the former secretary's tenure, during which she used a private e-mail account to conduct government business.In an exchange in 2012 over the circumstances that led to Israeli national security adviser Uzi Arad's resignation, Blumenthal cited coverage from the Post, and cast the broadsheet as a "right-wing Likud organ."Previous e-mail dumps show that Clinton's formal aides often cite articles from the Post in their e-mail conversations related to Israel.Steve Linde, editor-in-chief of the Post, rejected Blumenthal's comments, and characterized the newspaper as "proudly independent.""We are not a Likud organ," said Linde. "We support Israel and strive for balanced coverage, but we do not endorse any particular political party or politician."