A Washington, D.C., lawmaker who accused Jews of controlling the weather now faces scrutiny over a donation he made to a Nation of Islam event where the group leader Louis Farrakhan railed against Jews as his “enemies.”
Democratic council member Trayon White gave $500 to the Nation of Islam through a fund designated for community services, The Washington Post reported Friday. The District’s campaign finance officials gave White until May 3 to explain the payment, according to The Post.
White generated controversy in a March 18 Facebook video after he blamed a late snowfall on Jewish bankers who he claimed secretly controlled the weather. He later apologized.
The council member’s Nation of Islam ties raise questions about the sincerity of his apology, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld told The Post.
“The Jewish community let him off easy because he never explained how he came to have these views. He has never denounced the people with whom he’s associated,” Herzfeld said. “Him giving that money to Farrakhan is basically endorsing the vicious anti-Semitism that we all heard.”
White isn’t the only Democrat in D.C. with ties to Farrakhan: several Democratic members of Congress do as well.
Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters, for example, attended a Nation of Islam speech where Farrakhan spouted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and defended Palestinian suicide bombers.
Democratic Illinois Rep. Danny Davis repeatedly praised Farrakhan in interviews with this reporter, calling Farrakhan an “outstanding human being.”
Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, misled the public for years about his relationship with Farrakhan and attended multiple meetings with the hate group leader during his time in Congress.
While some Democrats in Congress have denounced Farrakhan, others have yet to do so.
Rep. James Clyburn, for example, shared a stage with Farrakhan but declined to denounce Farrakhan in response to inquiries from TheDCNF. Clyburn is the third-highest ranking Democrat in the House.
Clyburn’s office declined to address the congressman’s relationship with Farrakhan, telling TheDCNF Clyburn has “always opposed bigotry in all its forms.”
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