U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra denied saying that there were "no-go zones" in the country--then denied his denial after being proven wrong by video evidence. (Photo: @Amyatfacts/Twitter)
Dec 22, 2017
Journalists and Trump critics cringed on Friday as Pete Hoekstra, former congressman and the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, was caught blatantly lying to a Dutch reporter and attempting to hide behind President Donald Trump's pet phrase--"fake news."
A journalist with the Dutch news program Nieuwsuur asked Hoekstra about his claim, made at a congressional hearing in 2015, that "chaos" brought on by Muslims in the Netherlands had forced the country to establish "no-go zones."
The ambassador quickly called reports of the statement "fake news"--offering the phrase as one commonly used by Americans--only to be proven immediately wrong by a video of him at the hearing. He then went on to deny that he had used the term "fake news" only moments before.
The journalist openly laughed after the exchange, while critics on social media denounced Hoekstra's interview as an embarrassment to the U.S.
\u201cWhat\u2019s truly impressive is that @petehoekstra has not taken up his duties yet as Ambassador to the Netherlands and he\u2019s already pissed away his credibility. https://t.co/7iCHMjamqj\u201d— Daniel W. Drezner (@Daniel W. Drezner) 1513945461
\u201cCurrent US Ambassador to Netherlands Pete Hoekstra. Dutch treat him like a joke. https://t.co/HzUA66lps9\u201d— David Rothschild \ud83c\udf3b (@David Rothschild \ud83c\udf3b) 1513943766
\u201cThanks to Trump and his people like @petehoekstra our country is now the lying laughingstock of the whole world. #MAGA https://t.co/GZAlDU0zx7\u201d— Billy Corben (@Billy Corben) 1513953155
The Dutch press has previously criticized Hoekstra, who was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, for his anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ views, which put him at odds with his birthplace's largely socially progressive values. When Trump appointed him ambassador, the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrantcalled Hoekstra "a Dutchman from the Netherlands of the '50s."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Journalists and Trump critics cringed on Friday as Pete Hoekstra, former congressman and the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, was caught blatantly lying to a Dutch reporter and attempting to hide behind President Donald Trump's pet phrase--"fake news."
A journalist with the Dutch news program Nieuwsuur asked Hoekstra about his claim, made at a congressional hearing in 2015, that "chaos" brought on by Muslims in the Netherlands had forced the country to establish "no-go zones."
The ambassador quickly called reports of the statement "fake news"--offering the phrase as one commonly used by Americans--only to be proven immediately wrong by a video of him at the hearing. He then went on to deny that he had used the term "fake news" only moments before.
The journalist openly laughed after the exchange, while critics on social media denounced Hoekstra's interview as an embarrassment to the U.S.
\u201cWhat\u2019s truly impressive is that @petehoekstra has not taken up his duties yet as Ambassador to the Netherlands and he\u2019s already pissed away his credibility. https://t.co/7iCHMjamqj\u201d— Daniel W. Drezner (@Daniel W. Drezner) 1513945461
\u201cCurrent US Ambassador to Netherlands Pete Hoekstra. Dutch treat him like a joke. https://t.co/HzUA66lps9\u201d— David Rothschild \ud83c\udf3b (@David Rothschild \ud83c\udf3b) 1513943766
\u201cThanks to Trump and his people like @petehoekstra our country is now the lying laughingstock of the whole world. #MAGA https://t.co/GZAlDU0zx7\u201d— Billy Corben (@Billy Corben) 1513953155
The Dutch press has previously criticized Hoekstra, who was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, for his anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ views, which put him at odds with his birthplace's largely socially progressive values. When Trump appointed him ambassador, the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrantcalled Hoekstra "a Dutchman from the Netherlands of the '50s."
Journalists and Trump critics cringed on Friday as Pete Hoekstra, former congressman and the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, was caught blatantly lying to a Dutch reporter and attempting to hide behind President Donald Trump's pet phrase--"fake news."
A journalist with the Dutch news program Nieuwsuur asked Hoekstra about his claim, made at a congressional hearing in 2015, that "chaos" brought on by Muslims in the Netherlands had forced the country to establish "no-go zones."
The ambassador quickly called reports of the statement "fake news"--offering the phrase as one commonly used by Americans--only to be proven immediately wrong by a video of him at the hearing. He then went on to deny that he had used the term "fake news" only moments before.
The journalist openly laughed after the exchange, while critics on social media denounced Hoekstra's interview as an embarrassment to the U.S.
\u201cWhat\u2019s truly impressive is that @petehoekstra has not taken up his duties yet as Ambassador to the Netherlands and he\u2019s already pissed away his credibility. https://t.co/7iCHMjamqj\u201d— Daniel W. Drezner (@Daniel W. Drezner) 1513945461
\u201cCurrent US Ambassador to Netherlands Pete Hoekstra. Dutch treat him like a joke. https://t.co/HzUA66lps9\u201d— David Rothschild \ud83c\udf3b (@David Rothschild \ud83c\udf3b) 1513943766
\u201cThanks to Trump and his people like @petehoekstra our country is now the lying laughingstock of the whole world. #MAGA https://t.co/GZAlDU0zx7\u201d— Billy Corben (@Billy Corben) 1513953155
The Dutch press has previously criticized Hoekstra, who was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, for his anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ views, which put him at odds with his birthplace's largely socially progressive values. When Trump appointed him ambassador, the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrantcalled Hoekstra "a Dutchman from the Netherlands of the '50s."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.