Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz once praised Hitler and more recently hailed a radical Islamic cleric who refused to condemn the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack as a “great teacher,” according to a newly surfaced video.
Waltz, 60, has come under fire for the footage. The Washington Examiner revealed Tuesday’s video revealed that the former two-term Minnesota governor had spoken highly of Muslim cleric Imam Asad Zaman in 2018.
“First of all, I want to thank the imam. I’m a teacher, and I know a good teacher when I see one,” Waltz said in the video.
“One of the things I was blessed to have during our time together was to try to see and understand things in life through the eyes of a great teacher, and to hear those stories and what they mean today.”
Walz made the remarks while introducing Islamic leaders at an event hosted by the Muslim American Association of Minnesota during his first campaign for governor, and recounted some of the lessons Zaman taught him.
“It was a lesson when the Imam told me to speak to the people,” Walz said in the video, adding that Congress often feeds on “fear rather than hope” and “division.”
“Throughout my career, I have been against the demonization of Islam, the demonization of immigrants,” he continued. “There is Islamophobia in this space, as Imam Zaman says, and there is hatred being stoked.”
Waltz said Zaman was criticized in a 2015 Facebook post for his past ties to Islamic leaders. Neo-Nazi propaganda A film praising Adolf Hitler, three years before the Democrats praised him.
The newly surfaced footage was shared just days after it was revealed that Walz has repeatedly entertained Muslim clerics and given more than $100,000 in funding to Zaman’s nonprofit, the Muslim American Association of Minnesota, over the years.
Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Zaman had pledged his “unwavering support” for the Palestinian people following the October 7 terror attacks.
“MAS reaffirms its unwavering support to the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation,” Zaman said in a Facebook post shortly after the bloodshed occurred.
“Israel’s recent reckless attacks on Palestinian areas have claimed so many lives… We call on the U.S. government to exert maximum pressure on Israel to respect Palestinian lives.”
The Harris-Waltz campaign has since emphasized that despite his earlier statements, the Minnesota governor does not have a “personal relationship” with Muslim clerics.
“The Governor has no personal relationship with him,” a campaign spokesman said in a statement. “Governor Walz strongly condemns Hamas terrorism.”
Still, the Republican Jewish Coalition slammed Walz and accused Vice President-elect Kamala Harris of lying about her relationship with Zaman.
“Tim Walz’s defense of Minnesota Muslim American Association cleric Asad Zaman, who endorses Hitler, should be an outrage to the American Jewish community,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement.
“At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise at home and Israel faces an existential fight, it is essential that the American Jewish community can trust its leaders. And it is clear that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz cannot be trusted. Their priorities are not our priorities. The American people will reject their radicalism and extremism in November.”
