During a Wednesday campaign stop at a Brooklyn bakery, beleaguered New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner got into an explosive argument with a Jewish voter who called him a "scumbag" and a "bad example for the people."
The heated exchange went viral after reporter Jacob Kornbluh posted video of the spat, in which the 49-year-old politician hit back, "What rabbi taught you that? What rabbi taught you that you’re my judge?”
WHOA! you should of experienced this shouting match between Weiner and a Jewish voter hmm
— Jacob Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) September 4, 2013Advertisement
Weiner's campaign later released an extended version of the confrontation, in which the man can be heard saying "married to an Arab." (The remark takes place at mark 3:53 in the video below.)
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Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, is a practicing Muslim.
"Very nice. In front of children," Weiner said as he started to leave the coffee shop.
Kornbluh said he didn't hear the "Arab" remark when he took the video.
“If you’re gonna say vile things about me and my family, you should expect that I’m gonna go back at you,” Weiner expained to a reporter. “I don’t want to make more of it than what it was, but … you don’t have an unfettered right to say vile things just because I’m a candidate, and I felt that it was important that I respond.”@TomPStewart I didn't hear that comment. If said it is despicable and unacceptable. My vide of the incident has the exchange as it happened
— Jacob Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) September 4, 2013Advertisement
He also defended his response on Twitter, responding to reporters at The Daily Beast and New York Observer.
.@RossBarkan if by melt down you mean stood up to a heckler. Yep. Did that. That's what Mayors have to do sometimes.
— Anthony Weiner (@anthonyweiner) September 4, 2013
.@moneyries in defense of me, the guy waited til I took a bite of honey cake to take a run at me.
— Anthony Weiner (@anthonyweiner) September 4, 2013
