Man From Propaganda Website Harasses Democrat Senator Over Israel, Acts As Hamas Spokesperson

Aaron Mate from The Grayzone harassed and badgered Senator Chris Coons in embarrassing fashion.

Coons was enjoying some time in the quiet car of an Amtrak train when Mate accosted him and started demanding to know why he's not calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel, completely justifiably, is attempting to smash and obliterate Hamas following a terrorist attack that slaughtered more than 1,400 people and resulted in hundreds being taken hostage.

The terrorist organization is being handled exactly how it should be. Yet some people seem intent on painting Israel - and America by extension - as the bad guys.

Aaron Mate questions Senator Chris Coons.

"Why not call for a ceasefire in Gaza? I'm a journalist. My name is Aaron Mate," Mate said as he started lobbing questions at Coons.

The Grayzone worker claimed "kids in Gaza are being massacred" as Coons politely asked a worker for some help in the quiet car.

In one of the most appalling moments of the exchange, Coons pointed out the death toll in Israel, and Mate responded by saying the real death toll of civilians was 1,200, which seems to just indicate the deaths of IDF or police on October 7th doesn't really count. Truly disgusting.

To Coons' credit, he handled himself about as well as he could have, and didn't lose his temper or even raise his voice. You can watch the full exchange below, and send me your thoughts.

Mate later claimed he was removed and "felt okay violating the rules of the quiet car" because Israel and the United States are apparently breaking the law.

I reached out to Aaron to see if he thinks The Grayzone acts as a mouthpiece for Hamas, and whether or not there should have been ceasefires after Pearl Harbor and 9/11. He hasn't responded as of publication.

What is The Grayzone?

Mate couldn't have made Hamas prouder if he tried. The words and framing he used could have been taken directly from a Hamas or Hezbollah script. Job well done, Aaron. Nothing like running cover for terrorists to prove you're a good "journalist."

That led me down a rabbit hole to find out what The Grayzone is all about, and it's about as great of a propaganda website as you'll ever find. The site founded by Max Blumenthal, a Penn grad and son of former Bill Clinton aide Sid Blumenthal, looks like it's willing to publish anything to make Israel look bad and Hamas smile.

Below are real headlines listed under latest stories.

The story titled "October 7 testimonies reveal Israel’s military ‘shelling’ Israeli citizens with tanks, missiles" cities testimony the Israelis actually opened fire on their own citizens on October 7th and openly speculates "How many Israeli citizens said to have been burned alive' were actually killed by friendly fire?"

Fringe elements of the internet and pro-Hamas groups have run with the narrative the Israeli military unleashed on its own people October 7th, and later attributed the deaths to Hamas. It's complete nonsense - that's not to say there couldn't have been isolated moments of confusion - and a video claiming to show Israeli attack helicopters shooting at the music festival have been thoroughly debunked. The same article also calls claims of beheated babies "discredited," something that hasn't been discredited at all.

Founder Max Blumenthal has some insane takes.

The Daily Beast previously described the publication as "infamous for its defenses of dictatorships and its denial of atrocities." That includes casting doubt on China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims, parroting pro-Assad talking points in Syria and spreading straight up lies and he seems to back whatever narrative the Russian government says on Ukraine, according to the Daily Beast.

That includes Blumenthal claiming the Ukrainian military has been "vanquished" just two days after the war started. No matter your thoughts on the war between Russia and Ukraine, that's just not true. Ukraine's military isn't gone, and wasn't "vanquished" within 48 hours.

He also tweeted in 2016 that famed Nazi hunter "Elie Wiesel went from a victim of war crimes to a supporter of those who commit them. He did more harm than good and should not be honored."

Yes, a man dedicated to hunting the worst war criminals of the 1940s shouldn't be honored after his death. Are we noticing a pattern?

More recently, he tweeted that the Israelis treating Palestinians well was "like a school shooter handing out a few trapper keepers." Absolutely disgusting.

At first glance, one would have to wonder if the website received foreign funding to operate. However, Blumenthal has previously denied that claim, according to the Daily Beast.

"Well, you can see we get a lot of support on Patreon, and anyone who supports us outside Patreon are like private friends of mine who are basically progressive Americans who support progressive media," Blumenthal claimed when asked about the site's funding.

This secrecy and insane takes don't seem to be a problem for Blumenthal. He's been published in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, granted before he appears to have gone off the deep end, and also appears on networks that are straight up propaganda mouthpieces such as RT, Al Jazeera, and Media Matters (also long before he appears to have spiraled downward).

Of course, Blumenthal isn't alone with his whacked out takes. A quick trip back to Mate's X account has him calling CNN "Stenographers for mass murder" for embedding with the IDF. We're not exactly dealing with fair and balanced people.

This is an important reminder to be careful where you get your information. Blumenthal wants people to believe he's just a truth teller, but criticizes Israeli soldiers handing out water and the most famous Nazi hunter in world history. His lackey, Aaron Mate, pretends to be holier than thou when talking about Israel fighting Hamas and then tweets they're carrying out mass murder. It's not journalism. It's activism and propaganda. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.