Ellison: Committee Hearing on Muslims is wrong
DFL Rep. Keith Ellison appeared on CNN's State of the Union this morning to criticize Rep. Peter King, R-NY, for holding a hearing on the radicalization of Muslims. Ellison, who represents Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, said he will testify at the hearings to voice his displeasure with the hearings.
"I challenge the basic premise of the hearings, Ellison said. "I do agree that we have to deal with violent radicalization but singling out one community is the wrong thing to do."
Ellison also said the hearing could be used by Al Qaeda as a recruitment tool that the U.S. is at war with Islam.
King also appeared on the show. He said he's holding the hearings because he's worried that there are efforts to radicalize Muslims "from within."
"I think the hearing is going to be very productive," King said. "It's going to go forward and it's going to talk about something that is not being talked about publicly. I think it should be."
King pointed out that Attorney General Eric Holder testified that he stays awake at night about the radicalization of Muslims in the U.S.
I'll post the video once it's available. Update: I couldn't find the video but here's the transcript.
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