Washington Human Rights Commissioner resigns after backlash over antisemitic remarks

His resignation came just days after Jewish organizations across Washington demanded that he step down or be removed from office.

The Washington State Human Rights Commission announced Thursday that Jasmin resigned. "As of July 1, 2026, Commissioner Luc Jasmin resigned from the Washington State Human Rights Commission," the agency said in a brief statement. "WSHRC currently does not have any further details."

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Jasmin's resignation follows days of mounting criticism after the commission posted video from a March 2025 meeting in which commissioners debated a proposed resolution addressing antisemitism.

During that meeting, Jasmin questioned why the commission was considering a resolution focused on antisemitism. "This word, anti-Semitism, has been around since the Jews got trampled by Hitler," Jasmin said. "And it seems like the Jewish people keep on crying, and crying, and crying, and crying, always crying over the anti-Semitism."

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He also claimed Jews were seeking special treatment under the law and falsely accused "the Jewish" of killing "millions" of Palestinians and Arabs.

The remarks prompted swift condemnation from Jewish organizations across Washington.

StandWithUs Northwest called Jasmin's comments "unacceptable," demanded his resignation, and urged Gov. Bob Ferguson to remove him if he refused to step down.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle also condemned the remarks. "We are appalled by the comments by Washington State Human Rights Commissioner Luc Jasmin," said Solly Kane, the federation's president and CEO.

"At a time when the Jewish population is 2 percent of Americans but the target of approximately 70 percent of all religious-based hate crimes, for Commissioner Jasmin to suggest that Jews are always 'crying and crying' about antisemitism reveals a stunning lack of understanding and awareness of the real threats the American Jewish community faces."

The American Jewish Committee Seattle likewise criticized Jasmin's remarks, with Regional Director Regina Sassoon Friedland saying they were "dismissive of the lived experiences of Jewish people and inconsistent with the responsibilities of someone charged with protecting human rights."

Following the video's release, Jasmin gave a 45-minute interview to Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) in which he apologized repeatedly for his comments and acknowledged that he had wrongly conflated Jewish people with the State of Israel.

"I own my mistake," Jasmin told JNS. "I want to apologize to the Jewish community for what I said." However, Jasmin also said that offensive comments are common during Human Rights Commission discussions. "Some people say a lot of hurtful things about groups," he said. "But we don't take people's mistake and throw it out on the street for everybody to hear."

Jasmin also drew additional criticism after declining to say whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, saying, "I have no access to the information of who they are."

His son, Luc Jasmin III, a Democrat running for the Washington State Legislature while serving in Gov. Ferguson's office, also declined to label Hamas a terrorist organization during the same interview.

The Washington State Attorney General's Office responded to the controversy by stating that "the public's concerns about rising antisemitism are well-founded," calling antisemitism "a real and growing threat."

Shortly after the commission announced Jasmin's resignation, Gov. Bob Ferguson confirmed the vacancy on social media. "I will be making an appointment to this vacancy soon," Ferguson wrote. "If you're interested in serving on the Washington Human Rights Commission, or any of our other boards and commissions, here's how to apply."

Jasmin was appointed to the commission by former Gov. Jay Inslee in June 2023. His term had been scheduled to run through 2028.