Yahoo News White House correspondent Hunter Walker took to Twitter Sunday to address racial rhetoric surrounding the murder of Mohammad Anwar, and accused those showing concern of supporting a far-right agenda.
Walker first reacted to Washington Post reporter Hamza Shaban’s tweet in which he linked coverage from CNN of the murder in Washington Saturday. He responded, "There are a lot of far-right commentators sharing this horrific story and highlighting the fact the perpetrators are Black."
Former Washington Examiner staffer Siraj Hashmi responded to Walker’s tweet with a photo of a sign reading, "Our expectations for you were low but holy f***." Walker replied by accusing Hashmi of backing "far-right narratives."
"If you want a perfect example of someone who has had a more mainstream platform and gladly participates in stoking more far-right narratives and crowds of trolls look no further than Siraj! Hi Siraj!"
In response, Hashmi called out Walker for his "disingenuous and racist" remarks and explained that he’s concerned because his own father is a Pakistani immigrant.
"Hey Hunter, my father is a Pakistani immigrant, so your suggestion that me showing concern for the murder of a Pakistani immigrant who was just trying to make an honest living is actually just me playing up a far-right narrative is pretty disingenuous and racist of you."
Hashmi and Walker’s back and forth caused outrage among Twitter members and sparked further backlash towards the White House correspondent.