Imagine if any prominent Republican politician had a history of a mutual relationship with a political activist who either openly expressed sympathies with groups like the KKK or those who violently attack abortion clinics -- and even helping each other fundraise and endorsing each other's political campaigns. There would rightly be near universal condemnation for a willingness to associate with that kind of extremism.
But Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison's history of associating with such an ally -- Dr. Esam Omeish -- even after he was already known for publicly praising Palestinian terrorists waging "jihad" against the "brutal, aggressive regime of the Zionist entity" Israel, has received little attention from the dominant media.
As Rep. Ellison appeared as a guest on Wednesday's New Day, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo took the time to ask him about an infamous audio clip of the Democratic congressman at a 2010 fundraiser hosted by Dr. Omeish in which the Congressman complained about the U.S. siding with Israel against 350 million Arabs and talked up the possibility that Arab-Americans could make the U.S. scale back its support for Israel if they became more politically active.
Reading only a portion of Ellison's quote, Cuomo brought up the issue:
The main knock that I hear most often about you is questions about your political ideology when it doesn't -- not that you are Muslim -- it's about -- the anti-Semitism isn't because you're Muslim, as far as I can glean. Your opinion is wanted on that of course.
But you gave a speech in 2010 where you said that U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what's good or bad for a country of seven million people which people take to mean Israel. And that this was seen as you having a hostility toward the U.S. relationship with Israel, and that you were turning a blind eye to the value of that relationship, and you were favoring the Arabs essentially over the Jews.
After the Minnesota Congressman tried to claim that his comments were taken out of context and that he was harmlessly trying to encourage Arab-Americans to follow the lead of Jewish-Americans and become more politically active, Cuomo failed to point out that this explanation does not address the suggestion of the Minnesota Democrat's 2010 comments that Arabs might be able to get the U.S. to stop siding with Israel against 350 million Arabs if they became more politically active. According to audio and a transript from the event, Ellison had stated:
United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of seven million people. A region of 350 million all turns on a country of seven million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? Right? When the people who -- when the Americans who trace their roots back to those 350 million get involved, everything changes. Can I say that again?
And, as recounted later in the day by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a fuller examination of Rep. Ellison's 2010 appearance makes it even more clear that Ellison was not being honest with Cuomo in recalling the event as the Minnesota Democrat spent much of the speech criticizing the U.S. for not putting more pressure on Israel, and was indeed encouraging Arab-Americans to become more politically active for the purpose of scaling back U.S. support for Israel.
Cuomo also failed to bring up the fundraiser host's anti-Israel, pro-terrorism history, which should have been known to Ellison at the time because Dr. Omeish had already been forced to resign by former Democratic Virginia Governor Tim Kaine from an immigration panel in 2007 after his controversial words became public.
As recalled recently by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, Dr. Omeish was recorded at an anti-Israel rally in December 2000, during the Second Intifada revolt against Israel, in which he gave a speech condemning Israel as the "brutal, aggressive regime of the Zionist entity in the Middle East" and calling for the U.S. government's support for Israel to be "terminated." He also praised the Palestinians for waging "jihad." For a few seconds, a banner equating the Jewish Star of David to a Nazi Swastika could be seen being held by an audience member.
Dr. Omeish is even reported to have a history of praising members of the terrorist group Hamas.
In spite of Dr. Omeish's provocative behavior, Rep. Ellison appeared at a fundraiser for him and endorsed him when he ran unsuccessfully for the Virginia state legislature in 2009.
Returning to Rep. Ellison's speech in 2010, the complete audio and transcript shows a substantial amount of the Democratic Congressman complaining about America's support for Israel. Early on, he recalled that he had just attended the annual meeting of AIPAC, and sneered that the pro-Israel group "only got one issue -- and that is to say that whatever Israel does is just fine." He added: "But I want you to know that there is a growing awareness in the U.S. Congress and in the executive branch that everything anyone does, including Israel, is not fine."
After recalling that he supports President Barack Obama's criticisms of Israel allowing construction in East Jerusalem, and referring to the building activity as "colonizing," he soon asked, "Why are we sending $2.8 billion a year over there when they won't even honor our request to stop building in East Jerusalem?"
A bit later, he added, "We can't allow another country to treat us like we're their ATM," and fretted that Israel "has mobilized its Diaspora in America to do its bidding in America."
Toward the end of the speech, he got to the portion that Cuomo was referring to on CNN, which was clearly a criticism of Israel and an encouragement that Arab-Americans act against Israel politically as he suggested that it does not "make sense" that the U.S. is so supportive of Israel. Ellison:
But the message I want to send to you is that what you're doing by donating to this campaign is positioning me and positioning Muslims in general to help steer the ship of state in America. You understand what I am saying? Steer it in a direction that makes sense.
United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of seven million people. A region of 350 million all turns on a country of seven million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? Right? When the people who -- when the Americans who trace their roots back to those 350 million get involved, everything changes. Can I say that again?
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Wednesday, December 14, New Day on CNN, followed by a transript of portions of Dr. Esam Omeish's speech from December 2000:
CHRIS CUOMO: Let's talk about you for a second, and whether or not you'll be the next head of the DNC. ...The main knock that I hear most often about you is questions about your political ideology when it doesn't -- not that you are Muslim -- it's about -- the anti-Semitism isn't because you're Muslim, as far as I can glean. Your opinion is wanted on that of course.
But you gave a speech in 2010 where you said that U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what's good or bad for a country of seven million people which people take to mean Israel. And that this was seen as you having a hostility toward the U.S. relationship with Israel, and that you were turning a blind eye to the value of that relationship, and you were favoring the Arabs essentially over the Jews.
REP. KEITH ELLISON (D-MN); No, absolutely not. As a matter of act, I was talking to a group of people who asked me how they could look at the Jewish community as a model for political empowerment. In fact, I've been to Israel seven times, voted for bilateral aid to Israel to the tune of $27 billion, and I have supported Israel's U.S. joint defense pact over time. But I'll tell you this, there's a lot of people around the world and around our country who look to the Jewish community as a community that has used this democratic system order to offer its policy ideas, and that's the question that was posed to me.
CUOMO: What does that mean? Because who doesn't use the system to advance its own agenda? That's what people do. That's what constituencies are.
ELLISON: Well, Chris, of course, but some people in our country -- they might be immigrant groups, they might be new Americans, they don't know how to use the system as well and want to learn how to use it, want to learn how to be effective in lobbying, and in working with our U.S. system. There's nothing wrong with any group of Americans using our democratic system in order to advance their policy views. And if some groups, like, you know, there's various groups that are effective.
I mean, this is something that this is a skill that should be developed and strengthened, and people who are more successful should be looked towards as models. This statement that I made had absolutely nothing to do with what you're suggesting. Actually it was more about saying, how do people who want to know, how to work with Congress, how to work with members of Congress, how do they learn to do that better? That's what that was all about.
CUOMO: The criticism is out there. I'm giving you the opportunity to respond to it. That's the job, and I appreciate you taking the opportunity to do so.
#From Dr. Esam Omeish speaking at a December 2000 rally in Washington, D.C.:
one minute in:
We, the Muslims of the Washington Metropolitan Area, are here today in subfreezing temperatures to tell our brothers and sisters in Palestine that you have learned the way, that you have known the jihad way is the way to liberate your land. And we, by standing here today, despite the weather, and despite anything else, we are telling them that we are with you, we are supporting you, and we will do everything that we can inshallah to help your cause.
(...)
six minutes in:
We are no less than 10 million Muslims strong, and we must let it be heard, we must let the administration know that we as Muslims, as righteous citizens of this land, we must make it known that the faulty policy of the United States in the Middle East must be terminated, that the use of tax money, our tax money, to help support the brutal, aggressive regime of the Zionist entity in the Middle East, must be terminated. We must stand up, and we must let our voices be heard. We must tell them that our brethren in the Far East and brethren in Palestine are part of us, and the Muslims are but one body. That if one part of it aches, everybody aches. And we must show that acheness must be translated into action. That acheness must be translated into actual doings that will make this administration change its mind about its unconditional support for the Zionist entity in Palestine.My dear respected brothers, the coolness of this day, or the coldness of this temperature, is nothing compared to the struggle that our brothers are putting up in Palestine. You must look at the pictures and you will see a six-year-old child opening his bare chest to the bullets of the Israelis and telling them, "Go ahead and fire at my chest." These our brothers and sisters literally giving up their lives to save the honor of the Muslims, and it is time for us to show our strength and our support of our brothers and sisters. My dear respected brothers, let us spare no effort to support the cause of Palestine. Let us spare no effort to stand up to the aggressions of the Israelis and to the aggressions of the Zionist entity of Palestine.
