Politico
By Kevin Cirilli
Sean Hannity unleashed on Rep. Keith Ellison on Thursday night after a heated interview earlier in the week, charging that Ellison spent years spewing hateful rhetoric that the Fox News host suggested was as extreme as the Ku Klux Klan.
On his program, Hannity linked Ellison to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and the late-Black Militant leader Khalid Muhammed.
“The reality is, the Congressman not only associated with these radicals – but he spent years spewing their hateful rhetoric,” Hannity said, referring to when Ellison was a law student at the University of Minnesota in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Hannity continued: “What is the difference, I mean, do we have somebody then in Congress that is the equivalent of one side of what the Klan is? Because I view the rabid ranting of Khalid Mohammed as frightening in terms of racism, anti-Semitism.”
Hannity continued: “What is the difference, I mean, do we have somebody then in Congress that is the equivalent of one side of what the Klan is? Because I view the rabid ranting of Khalid Mohammed as frightening in terms of racism, anti-Semitism.”
His attack comes following Ellison’ fiery appearance on Hannity’s Fox News program on Tuesday in which Ellison called Hannity “the worst excuse for a journalist I’ve ever seen.”
In a statement, Ellison criticized Hannity and called him “sad,” urging him to get back to covering important issues such as sequestration, the automatic, $1.2 trillion cuts in federal spending over the next decade that take begin Friday.
“[Friday], a set of devastating cuts will hit every American, costing 750,000 jobs over the course of the yearif Congress doesn’t act. The seriousness of these cuts was the subject and context of my spirited exchange with Sean Hannity on Tuesday night,” Ellison said.
He continued: “Americans deserve journalists who provide responsible, objective reporting. Instead, Sean Hannity is bringing up my religion and making personal attacks. This is sad. Can we get back to what’s best for the American people now?”
Hannity’s criticisms of Ellison, a Muslim, first surfaced during Ellison’s 2006 Congressional campaign and Ellison has previously apologized for the associations.
On Friday, Christian social justice organization Sojourners CEO Jim Wallis and Rabbi Marc Schneier — president and co-founder of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding — came to Ellison’s defense.
“Congressman Ellison has been one of our nation’s foremost leaders when it comes to interfaith understanding and cooperation. As a Christian and as an advocate for justice, I consider it an honor to call the Congressman both a friend and an ally,” Wallis said in a public statement.
Wallis continued: “Sean Hannity’s comments only serve to reveal the pundit’s own ignorance of interfaith issues and, as Congressman Ellison said, Hannity’s journalistic incompetence. The attacks on the Congressman only reveal Keith Ellison’s deeply held values and service to this country.”
Schneier called Ellison a “valued friend.”
“Congressman Ellison has been a valued friend to the American Jewish community. He has been a partner in strengthening Muslim Jewish relations. As an example, he was responsible for organizing the letter by Muslim Americans to Khaled Meshal, head of Hamas, in demanding the release of Gilad Shalit,” Schneier said in a public statement.
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