*Women’s March leader Tamika Mallory was grilled by Sunny Hostin and Meghan McCain on “The View” over her ties to Louis Farrakhan, and the conversation left many viewers riled up.
Things got heated because Mallory refused to condemn Farrakhan’s past remarks about Jewish people. She also, apparently, offended many when she previously said that the controversial Nation of Islam leader is the “greatest of all time because of what he’s done in black communities.”
“Tamika, you came under some fire for your relationship with Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam,” Hostin said. “He’s known for being anti-Semitic, for being homophobic, but you do attend his events and you posted… a photo calling him the G.O.A.T., which means the greatest of all time. You are running an organization that says it fights bigotry. Do you understand why your association with him is quite problematic?”
Mallory fired back, “I think it’s important to put my attendance, my presence at Savior’s Day, which is the highest holy day for the Nation of Islam, in proper context.”
She noted that “just because you go into a space with someone that does not mean that you agree with everything that they say.”
Hostin followed up with asking, “Why call him the greatest of all time?”
“I didn’t call him the greatest of all time because of his rhetoric. I called him the greatest of all time because of what he’s done in black communities,” Mallory said.
“I would never be comfortable supporting someone who (said) … ‘I’m not anti-Semite, I’m anti-termite. It’s the wicked Jews, the false Jews that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality” McCain said, quoting Farrakhan.
When McCain continued to press her guest about his remarks about Jewish people, Mallory made it clear that “We did not make those remarks,” she said. “What I will say to you is, I don’t agree with many of Minister Farrakhan’s statements.”
McCain then asked, “Do you condemn them?”
“To be very clear, it’s not my language. It’s not the way that I speak,” Mallory replied.
Scroll up and watch the intense conversation go down in the clip above.
In a speech in February, Farrakhan praised Mallory and declared “the powerful Jews are my enemy.”
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