The new U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands is apologizing after a bizarre exchange with a Dutch reporter went viral in both countries.
When Pete Hoekstra, a former Congressman from Holland, Mich., was confronted with remarks he made about there being “no-go zones” in the Netherlands, he told journalist Wouter Zwart of news program Nieuwsuur, “I didn’t say that. That is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news.”
Then Zwart played the clip of Hoekstra, a conservative Republican, from a 2015 conference saying, “The Islamic movement has now gotten to the point where they have put Europe in chaos. Chaos in the Netherlands, where there are cars being burned, there are politicians that are being burned.”
He added: “And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands.”
Confronted with his own words, Hoekstra then denied telling the journalist it was “fake news” just moments earlier.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“I didn’t call that fake news,” Hoekstra said. “I didn’t use the words today. I don’t think I did.”
The entire exchange was caught on camera.
The interview, part of a lengthy story on Hoekstra and his new role, went viral on both sides of the Atlantic.
See the interview below – the “fake news” exchange is in English:
Pete Hoekstra is vanaf januari de nieuwe Amerikaanse #ambassadeur in Nederland. Hij staat bekend om zijn conservatieve standpunten. Zo verzette hij zich actief tegen homorechten. Het lijkt dus geen vanzelfsprekende match. pic.twitter.com/dZnetBJvnD
— Nieuwsuur (@Nieuwsuur) December 21, 2017
On Saturday, Hoekstra tweeted “I made remarks in 2015 and regret the exchange during the Nieuwsuur interview. Please accept my apology.”
Just perfect.
Dutch journalist to new US Ambassador: you said there were ‘no go zones’ in Netherlands, where are they?
Ambassador: That’s fake news, I didn’t say that
Journalist: We can show you that clip now.
Ambassador: Err ???????? pic.twitter.com/8ohIOzmYAc— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) December 22, 2017
Oh wow, watch this. Pete Hoekstra, former representative, now ambassador, asked about something he said, accuses journalist of “fake news.” Then shown the clip and says it’s fake news that he denied saying it. We live in the Post-Truth era. https://t.co/qbY9UqaE2o
— Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) December 22, 2017
Hoekstra was born in the Netherlands, but his family moved to Holland, Mich., when he was young. His appointment to ambassador was met with some disdain in his native country, as some of the former Republican congressman’s conservative ideals — including opposition to same-sex marriage and gay rights — run contrary to what most in the highly progressive country believe.
After his appointment, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant wrote that Trump “put a Dutchman in the Netherlands — but it is a Dutchman from the Netherlands of the ’50s,” the Washington Post reported.