Hoenlein and Newsmax: The transcript

After Malcolm Hoenlein said a Newsmax report mischaracterized his comments about President Obama, Newsmax has released both the transcript and an audio recording of reporter Ron Kessler’s interview of the Conference of Presidents’ executive vice chairman. Hoenlein doesn’t deny making some criticisms of Obama’s Cairo speech, as he is quoted doing in the article and in the transcript. But the article also gives the impression that Hoenlein said the president was losing Jewish community support, while Hoenlein said he was only trying to say the Jewish community was not "monolithic," and that the interviewer conflated the questions and answers.

So let’s go to the transcript and look at three key passages. First, Newsmax asks Hoenlein whether some Jewish leaders are regretting their support for Obama, and Hoenlein says it’s a question he can’t answer:

Kessler: Are you finding that Jewish leaders are starting to have buyer’s remorse about Obama?

Hoenlein: I can’t speculate about that. I do think, and I’ve heard and read comments that people have made, the concerns that they are expressing, that people were concerned about what was said. I’ve heard it from some of his strongest supporters, expected from his detractors, but I think many of them were concerned, even people close to him have said to us that there were parts of the speech that bothered them.

Then, Kessler asks the question again, in a different way, and Hoenlein gives a slightly different answer, saying there’s some "uncertainty right now":

Kessler: Could I ask did you vote for Obama and now do you reget it?

Hoenlein: I never discuss how I vote.

Kessler: But have you heard that from some Jewish leaders, just privately?

Hoenlein: That they’re saying that?

Kessler: Yeah.

Hoenlein: Let’s say there’s a lot of questioning going on about what he really believes, what does he really stand for. I think there’s a lot of uncertainty right now.

Finally, there’s the portion of the interview quoted in the headline to the piece, that Jews are "very concerned" about Obama. First, here’s how the Newsmax piece quotes Hoenlein:

Hoenlein says flatly, "People [Jews] are genuinely very concerned…about President Obama."

And here’s what Hoenlein actually said, without the ellipse:

Kessler: I’m just thinking of the fact he got such overwhelming support from Jews, and now what are they thinking.

Hoenlein: They are thinking, that’s what’s important. You should always be thinking. You shouldn’t vote without thinking, and after they vote, they should think about what’s going on. And people are genuinely very concerned not just about President Obama. I mean it’s a time of heightened concern, and I think this is part of it.