Rep. Keith Ellison — the Minnesota congressman who hopes to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — is a "black racist" who is "as far left as you can get," former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told Newsmax TV.
"He's a racist; he's a black racist, and you can't say it any plainer than that," DeLay, R-Texas, told host Steve Malzberg on "America Talks Live."
"Look at what he's done. Look at how he talks. He's a socialist, racist, leftist, whatever you want to call him, and if that's going to be the face of the Democratic Party, more power to them."
DeLay added on the "far left" Ellison: "It would be a wonderful pick for the DNC. They can dig that whole even deeper all the way to China. He is the most radical member of the House of Representatives. If they pick him, it's smooth sailing for the Republicans for years."
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Ellison threw his hat in the ring Monday to run the DNC, promising to "work tirelessly to make the Democratic Party an organization that brings us together and advances an agenda that improves people's lives."
He would be the first Muslim to hold the position, if selected.
But Ellison has a controversial past, having once associated with Louis Farrakhan, the notorious Nation of Islam leader the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled "an anti-Semite who routinely accuses Jews of manipulating the U.S. government and controlling the levers of world power."
Ellison, who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., presidential bid, has been endorsed by Sanders and Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Harry Reid, D-Nev.
DeLay, who represented Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1985 to 2006, is the author of "Revival! Revolution! Rebirth! A Radical Call from the Former Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives," written with Wallace Henley and published by WND Books.