Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz praised Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as a fighter against hate and antisemitism as Walz faces fresh scrutiny over his relationship with a controversial Muslim cleric.
The Democratic vice presidential candidate has come under fire because of his past appearances with and praise for Minnesota Muslim leader Imam Asad Zaman. In the last few years, Zaman has used his Facebook page to share official Hamas press releases, blog posts from antisemitic sites and a 2015 link to a pro-Hitler film, "The Greatest Story Never Told." Zaman also posted on Oct. 7 that he and his organization "stands in solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks."
During an interview on CNN Wednesday morning, anchor Sara Sidner asked Wasserman Schultz to respond to this criticism, after The Washington Examiner uncovered a video this week showing Walz praising the Imam as a "master teacher" at an event hosted by Zaman's group, the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, in 2018.
"Are you concerned about this, where Walz is showing up with the imam over and over and over again, with this relationship?" Sidner asked.
Wasserman Schultz dismissed these concerns by calling Walz a strong defender of Israel who continues to "fight back against hate" and antisemitism.
"I've known Tim Walz and served with him in Congress and he‘s been a dear friend of mine for many years, and if there‘s anything I‘m confident in, it's that Tim Walz is going to continue to give voice to the voiceless to fight back against hate, particularly antisemitism, as he has continually done," the Democrat said.
"He spoke out immediately after October 7, condemned Hamas‘s attack, has insisted that the hostages come home and has always had a strong pro-Israel voting record alongside Vice President Harris when she was a U.S. senator," she continued. "This is an administration under Vice President Harris that adopted the first national strategy to combat antisemitism."
Wasserman Schultz argued the Harris-Walz administration would "actually care about fighting hate and reducing antisemitism," unlike their Republican opponents, whom she claimed "dine and cohort with antisemites." She was referring to former President Trump's recent conversation on X with Elon Musk and his highly criticized dinner with a Holocaust denier at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022.
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Despite Walz referring to having spent time with Zaman in the 2018 video, the Harris-Walz campaign claimed, "Gov. Walz does not have a relationship with [Zaman]," and "strongly condemns Hamas terrorism."
Walz also appeared with Zaman at several other public events, including his own inauguration in 2019.
"Thank God this team is finally going to be in charge," Zaman said then of Walz's incoming administration. "I congratulate you for stepping forward to serve the people of Minnesota, and I remind you of the trust you have chosen to undertake. Empower them with courage to render social justice to all our people. Make it easy for them to help our people and make it hard for them to hurt our people."
Walz’s administration has also donated over $100,000 to Zaman's group, according to state records reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
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Fox News' Alexander Hall, Mike Tobin and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
