Democrats Finally Begin Denouncing Louis Farrakhan for His Anti-Semitic Rants

Democratic lawmakers are denouncing Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam who has a long history of hateful rhetoric and recently came under fire after he made anti-Semitic remarks at a speech attended by one of the organizers of the Women's March.

At the end of February, Farrakhan said so-called "power Jews" are his enemy, according to a CNN report. 

Farrakhan continued: "White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God's grace, has pulled the cover off of that satanic Jew and I'm here to say your time is up, your world is through."

This is far from the first time Farrakhan has made bigoted comments. The Southern Poverty Law Center documented his history of anti-Semitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric, including his claim that "the Jews got a stranglehold on the Congress."

During the 2016 election, Farrakhan praised candidate Donald Trump for not accepting money from the "Jewish community."

Now, Democrats who have previously met with or had ties to Farrakhan have begun denouncing him. While some, such as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), directly criticized Farrakhan, others, including Reps. Danny Davis (D-IL) and Andre Carson (D-IN), stuck to denouncing bigotry or hate speech more broadly. 

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), however, seemed irritated to be asked about the issue, saying his constituents care only about the issues.

Tamika Mallory, one of the founders of the Women's March, has been under criticism for her ties to Farrakhan. She attended his February speech and once posted a picture with him on Instagram that referenced the religious figure as a "GOAT" (greatest of all time). In a column for News One, she continued to refuse to denounce him, instead saying: "It is impossible for me to agree with every statement or share every viewpoint of the many people who I have worked with or will work with in the future."

Bigotry isn't an issue with room for equivocation. The Democratic Party would help prove its worth to the country by taking a united stand against individuals like Farrakhan who espouse dangerous bigotry.