Aaron Klein ( he, אהרון קליין; born 1979
) is an American-Israeli
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
political commentator, journalist, strategist, bestselling author, and senior advisor to Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
.
He served as campaign manager for Netanyahu's election campaign for the
March 2021 election and as chief strategist for Netanyahu's successful 2020 election campaign. Klein was Netanyahu's full-time chief strategist from 2020 to 2021, during the entire period Netanyahu was prime minister of Israel's
36th government.
He played a role in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
He was previously an American weekend radio talk show host, author, and senior reporter and Middle Eastern bureau chief for ''
Breitbart News
''Breitbart News Network'' (known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an American far-rightMultiple sources:
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'' and a weekly columnist for ''
The Jewish Press
''The Jewish Press'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York, and geared toward the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly".
''The Jewish Press'' has an online v ...
''.
Early life and education
Klein grew up in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
and graduated from Torah Academy Boys High School.
In his book ''Schmoozing with Terrorists'', Klein describes his upbringing: "I was a
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
-studying
Modern Orthodox Jew
Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world.
Modern Orthodoxy draws on seve ...
. I attended Jewish religious schooling my entire life from religious elementary school until college. I came from a tight-knit orthodox Jewish community."
At
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universit ...
in New York City, Klein edited the undergraduate bimonthly student newspaper ''The Commentator'' and changed his major from biology to English upon becoming editor.
"After determining that the publication was decidedly underwhelming in journalistic ambition - 'a glorified synagogue newsletter,' Klein called it - he tried to up the paper's metabolism by publishing a series of articles that were highly critical of the school administration," according to a book by ''New York Times'' reporter Jeremy Peters.
Articles published in ''The Commentator'' regarding events such as use of an eight-million-dollar gift to the school and the removal of a secretary, written while Klein was a co-editor in chief, allegedly caused the school administration to remove some issues from circulation.
This prompted the paper's editorial board to threaten to sue the university, generating national media attention. Yeshiva University later signed a contract with Klein in which it agreed to discontinue the practice and reimburse ''The Commentator'' for the confiscated issues.
Work for Netanyahu
In 2019, Klein advised Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu while the premier was preparing a public campaign against the Israeli attorney general's decision to indict him. Klein was chief strategist for Netanyahu's December 2019 Likud primary in which Netanyahu scored a landslide victory. Klein then served as chief strategist for Netanyahu's third successive general election after two previous elections failed to produce a clear majority government. Netanyahu's Likud party won more votes than any party in Israeli electoral history, with Likud crediting Klein's strategy for historic turnout from its voters.
At his campaign's nationally televised "victory" event, Netanyahu publicly credited Klein with his victory in the March 2020 election, which produced a unity government in which Netanyahu would serve as prime minister for 18 months.
In June 2020, Netanyahu hired Klein as a full-time strategic advisor.
"Klein left a full-time successful career as a reporter to help as Israel finds itself facing unprecedented challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, amid the international debate on the issue of applying sovereignty
n the West Bankand other pressing matters," the Likud stated.
Klein served as Netanyahu's strategist during the period that Netanyahu signed four peace deals with Arab nations and oversaw Israel's successful corona vaccine program.
Following his hiring, Klein was described in Israeli media reports as one of Netanyahu's closest advisors and he is referred to in Hebrew media outlets as "Bibi whisperer," using Netanyahu's nickname.
Netanyahu appointed Klein as campaign manager and chief of his March 2021 election campaign. "Klein is one of the most talented strategists we ever worked with and he is tirelessly dedicated to safeguarding the State of Israel," Jonatan Urich, a
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
party spokesman, said.
Klein served as strategic advisor to Netanyahu during the 2022 election, in which Netanyahu won a decisive victory.
2016 Presidential Campaign
Steve Bannon
Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...
, chief strategist for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, credited Klein with being the “genius” who came up with the idea of bringing Clinton's female accusers to the St. Louis presidential debate in October 2016. The debate took place as Trump was facing mounting pressure to step down following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in which Trump was caught on camera making controversial statements about women. Klein's strategy to bring Bill Clinton's accusers to the debate and sit them in the front row across from Bill Clinton and facing Hillary Clinton on stage was widely reported as helping to turn Trump's campaign around at that time and regain the narrative.
''The New York Times'' documented how Trump defused the “Access Hollywood” furor with Klein not only strategizing but physically bringing the Clinton assault accusers to the debate and surprising the media:
The stunt came about thanks to a “norm-shattering” partnership between the Trump campaign and Aaron Klein, a 36-year-old reporter for Bannon’s website, Breitbart News, who tracked down the women and cajoled them into attending.
“In the history of modern presidential politics, no candidate had pulled off such a ruthless act of vengeance in public,” ''New York Times'' reporter Jeremy Peters added. “It changed the game, proving to Trump and his allies that there was nothing off-limits anymore.”
''The Times'' continued:
So pivotal was Klein’s role in Trump’s upset victory that Jared Kushner later told him, “My father-in-law wouldn’t be president without you.”
Klein reportedly "was credited with advice that helped Trump capture the White House."
Media career
After several years working as the Jerusalem bureau chief for
WorldNetDaily
''WND'' (formerly ''WorldNetDaily'') is an American far-right fake news website. It is known for promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories, including the false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
Th ...
, Klein served as senior reporter and Jerusalem bureau chief for ''
Breitbart News
''Breitbart News Network'' (known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an American far-rightMultiple sources:
*
*
*
*
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* syndicated news, opinion, and commentary website founded in mid-2007 b ...
''. He was recruited to that position by former Trump chief strategist
Steve Bannon
Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...
, who served as executive chairman of ''Breitbart News''.
Klein also had a weekly column in the ''
Jewish Press
''The Jewish Press'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York, and geared toward the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly".
''The Jewish Press'' has an online v ...
''.
Klein hosted a weekly radio program, ''Aaron Klein Investigative Radio'' on
Salem Media Group
Salem Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SALM; formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher formerly based in Camarillo, California (moved most operations to Ir ...
-owned conservative talk stations,
WNYM
WNYM (970 AM) – branded "AM 970 The Answer" – is a commercial radio station licensed to Hackensack, New Jersey, and serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is owned by Salem Media Group and programs a conservative talk radio ...
in the New York City area and
WNTP
WNTP (990 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WNTP is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Conservatism in the United States, conservative talk radio radio ...
in Philadelphia. The program previously aired on
WABC in New York until early 2014. His show included his calling and interviewing terrorists on the air.
"Aaron Klein Investigative Radio" annually made Talker's "Heavy Hundred" list of top American weekend radio programs, considered the standard for talk radio ratings. His program was one of two weekend programs in the U.S. that made the list most years. The show was reported to have over one million weekly listeners. In January 2013, the show claimed it was the most-listened-to AM talk show radio on the weekend.
A ''Jerusalem Post'' magazine profile, describing Klein as a "one-man power house", quoted the radio host on why he thinks covering the U.S. while living in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
is advantageous. "I have a major advantage being in Israel,” Klein told the newspaper. “For example when a child is raised in a dysfunctional household, sometimes he doesn’t realize the reality of the situation until he leaves and takes a look at things from the outside. Being here in Israel I have the advantage of exploring U.S. politics with a proper perspective, where I can see things far more clearly.”
Interviews
During the
2016 U.S. presidential election, Klein conducted a series of interviews with the sexual assault accusers of Bill Clinton:
Juanita Broaddrick
Juanita Broaddrick is an American former nursing home administrator. She alleged that she was raped by U.S. President Bill Clinton on April 25, 1978, when he (aged 32) was the Attorney General of Arkansas. Clinton's attorney, David E. Kendall, ...
,
Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers (born January 24, 1950) is an American author, singer, model, actress, former State of Arkansas employee, and former TV journalist. In January 1998, President Bill Clinton testified under oath that he had a sexual encounter wit ...
,
Paula Jones
Paula Corbin Jones (born Paula Rosalee Corbin; September 17, 1966) is an American civil servant. A former Arkansas state employee, Jones sued United States President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994. In the initial lawsuit, Jones cite ...
and
Kathleen Willey
Kathleen Willey (born June 2, 1946) is a former White House volunteer aide who, on March 15, 1998, alleged on the TV news program '' 60 Minutes'' that Bill Clinton had sexually assaulted her on November 29, 1993, during his first term as Preside ...
. The allegations become fodder for the presidential debates and the news cycle. Hours before the third presidential debate, former Arkansas television reporter Leslie Millwee gave her first public interview with Klein at ''Breitbart News'', claiming Clinton sexually assaulted her in 1980.
In April 2008, Klein appeared on the
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor (born April 29, 1948) is an American author and host of ''Eye on the World'' on the CBS Audio Network. His flagship station is New York's 710 WOR. The show is a hard-news-analysis radio program on current events, world his ...
radio show, where both interviewed
Ahmed Yousef
Ahmed Yousef (AKA Yousef Saleh, Abu Ahmed, Ahmed bin Yousef)Emerson, Steven. ''American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us''. The Free Press. New York, USA, 2002. was a senior adviser to Gaza's Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and remains close to ...
, chief political adviser to
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
in the Gaza Strip. During that interview, Yousef stated that Hamas endorsed
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
for president.
The interview became a theme of the 2008 presidential campaign. Republican candidate John McCain and Obama themselves addressed Yousef's comments; McCain quoted Yousef's comments dozens of times during media interviews.
As per Buzzfeed: "It's been a tradition for the past several American elections: At some point, Aaron Klein calls leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas, they tell him they're supporting the Democrat, and he goes with a headline along the lines of: 'Mideast terror leaders to U.S.: Vote Democrat.'"
During a June 2007 interview, after an argument during a radio interview over whether or not Hamas was a terrorist organization, British politician
George Galloway
George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer who is currently leader of the Workers Party of Britain, serving since 2019. Between 1987 and 2010, and then between 2012 and 2015, Galloway was a Member o ...
evicted Klein from his office and turned him over to Parliament police, claiming he had breached security by falsely presenting himself as a reporter and that Klein was really a "Zionist agent".
In June 2010, Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, the Muslim leader behind a proposed Islamic cultural center near the site of the 9-11 attacks, was interviewed by Klein on WABC, where he reportedly refused to describe Hamas as a terrorist organization.
On August 15, 2010, Mahmoud al-Zahar, the chief of Hamas in Gaza, appeared on Klein's program, where he expressed support for
Park51
Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) is a development originally envisioned as a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The developers hoped to promote an interfaith dialogue within the greater comm ...
community center. Zahar's comments made the cover of the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' and generated world media attention.
Books
''Schmoozing with Terrorists''
Klein's book ''Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!'' was released in September 2007.
The book, a bestseller, is based on interviews with purported terrorists. Topics include Klein's meetings with a recruited Palestinian suicide bomber; interviews with Muhammed Abdel-El, the head of a
Popular Resistance Committee, and
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
leader Sheikh Yasser Hamad; and confrontations with the Muslim desecrators of Jewish and Christian holy sites. There is also a section in which jihadist leaders are petitioned to describe what life in the U.S. would be like under the rule of Islam, a chapter on Christian persecution in the Middle East, and a chapter claiming the U.S. funds terrorism.
''The Manchurian President''
''The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists'' was released in May 2010. In the book (per ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' blurb), "President Obama's life and campaigns are sifted for Communist and socialist ties." The book was on the ''New York Times''
' bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction as well as those of ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' and ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. Simon Maloy, writing for
Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a politically left-leaning 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization and media watchdog group. MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Res ...
, and John Oswald, of the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'', both called the book "ridiculous crap". Some journalists, including from publications such as ''Time'' and ''Newsweek'', sent emails to the author's publicist saying they did not want to receive a review copy of Klein's book.
''Red Army''
''Red Army: The Radical Network That Must Be Defeated to Save America'' was published in October 2011. The book was reviewed by
Michael Tomasky
Michael John Tomasky (born October 13, 1960) is an American columnist, progressive commentator, and author. He is the editor of ''The New Republic'' and editor in chief of ''Democracy''. He has been a special correspondent for ''Newsweek'', ''T ...
for the ''New York Review of Books'', writing "I can't in good conscience recommend that anyone read 'Red Army' except perhaps the president," noting that the book "will be read by hundreds of thousands."
''Fool Me Twice''
''Fool Me Twice: Obama's Shocking Plans for the Next Four Years Exposed'' was released on August 7, 2012, and appeared on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list the following week.
''Impeachable Offenses''
In August 2013, Klein published ''Impeachable Offenses: The Case to Remove Barack Obama from Office''. MSNBC reported the book fueled the national conversation to impeach Obama, while
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
announced the book “ushers in the Obama impeachment movement” on the right.
''Real Benghazi Story''
On September 11, 2014, the second anniversary of the
Benghazi attacks, Klein released a new book entitled, ''The REAL
Benghazi
Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...
Story: What the White House and Hillary Don’t Want You to Know''.
Maggie Haberman
Maggie Lindsy Haberman (born October 30, 1973) is an American journalist, a White House correspondent for ''The New York Times'', and a political analyst for CNN. She previously worked as a political reporter for the ''New York Post'', the New ...
reported in
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
that the book was part of a resurgence of conservative book publishing targeting Clinton in the run-up to the United States presidential election in 2016. Alex Seitz-Wald, writing for
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
, said the book would prove "easy fodder for the conservative echo chamber".
Relationship with Wikipedia
In March 2009, Klein criticized Wikipedia for what he described as preferential treatment of Barack Obama coverage. Klein said that Wikipedia editors had scrubbed the article of material critical of the president and that an editor had been suspended for attempting to add "missing" details about Obama's
relationship with Bill Ayers and
allegations that Obama was not born in the United States. Klein said similar negative content was found in the article of
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
.
The story was picked up by ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'',
Drudge Report
The Drudge Report (stylized as DRUDGE REPORT) is a U.S.-based news aggregation website founded by Matt Drudge, and run with the help of Charles Hurt and Daniel Halper. The site was generally regarded as a conservative publication, though its ow ...
and
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
. A spokesperson for Wikipedia stated that the Obama article had not received any preferential treatment.
Klein removed the name of the editor from the article after reports arose on blogs and
Wired News
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...
that he might himself be the suspended editor described in the story (the editor's only previous work on Wikipedia was editing Klein's page). In an email sent in response to the Wired News article, Klein wrote that the editor "works with me and does research for me."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Aaron
1979 births
American male journalists
American Orthodox Jews
American talk radio hosts
Breitbart News people
Critics of Wikipedia
Israeli Orthodox Jews
Israeli writers
Israeli political consultants
Israeli political writers
Journalists from Pennsylvania
Likud
Living people
People from Jerusalem
Radio personalities from Philadelphia
Yeshiva University alumni