Pat Robertson: Jews Don't Fix Cars, They're Busy Polishing Diamonds
"What is about Jewish people that make (sic) them prosper financially?" asks conservative televangelist and hoverer-near-death Pat Robertson. His answer? Jews don't fix their cars or mow their lawns, which leaves them more time for their primary occupation: Polishing diamonds.
Talking with Daniel Lapin, a rabbi and author of books on the intersection of business and religion, Robertson managed to turn a conversation that was sort of about economic specialization and the labor market into a joke about every Jewish person's main gig being the counting of riches. Gee, haven't heard that one pretty much constantly since around 500 A.D.
Since when is Robertson an expert on polishing diamonds?
Well, actually, he's been accused of using funds from his Rwandan refugee charity, Operation Blessing, to transport diamond mining equipment for a joint venture with Zaire's dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko (no, not that one) in the 1990s.
The diamond mining scandal was the subject of a 2013 documentary, Mission Congo, although Robertson denied allegations that the charity was merely a front. A 1999 report by the U.S. Attorney General's Office found Robertson was misleading when he collected the donations, but that he wasn't guilty of fraud.
Okay, sure, but does he fix his own car?