CNN's Jake Tapper asks Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) for his reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling on President Trump's travel ban and his past ties to Louis Farrakhan.



Ellison got defensive when Tapper said the two had met in a Washington, D.C. hotel room which the outgoing Congressman vehemently denied.





TAPPER: You've been decrying President Trump's bigotry. Obviously, you used to follow somebody who continually expressed sexist anti- LGBTQ and anti-Semitic bigotry, Lewis Farrakhan. You've condemned Farrakhan's bigotry --







ELLISON: I would disagree with that. I would disagree with that, sir.



TAPPER: What are you disagreeing with?



ELLISON: Sorry, that comes up in this context.



TAPPER: Well, you're decrying bigotry, and Louis Farrakhan is a pretty clear bigot.



ELLISON: Right. And I agree that that's true. And I think I made myself very clear.



But, look, that's going back to the false equivalency. You know, I don't have any support for the individual you just mentioned stands for, nor do I agree with Trump's bigotry either. But then again, any time somebody tries to say that something is unfair and bigoted, if you're going to say, well, one time you sort of said something or somebody said you said something and then --



TAPPER: But you are a follower of --



(CROSSTALK)



ELLISON: No, I wasn't --



TAPPER: You were a follower of Farrakhan, sir. You --



ELLISON: Jake, I'm sorry. That is not true, Jake.



But I just want to say to you, if anyone who raises concerns about bigotry then is put in a position to have to defend themselves, then we never get to talk about bigotry and I hope that's not what your purpose is, Jake, because you've stood for an equal society. But if you're going to try to put me on the spot and have to explain myself -- I didn't pass a Muslim ban.



TAPPER: No, I didn't --



ELLISON: This is not my --



TAPPER: You didn't let me ask my question. My question was, "The Washington Post" fact checker in March gave you four Pinocchios for your claim that you have no relationship with him and I want you to take a listen to Farrakhan talking in an interview about how you only --



ELLISON: That's wrong. That's not true.



TAPPER: And Farrakhan -- well, "The Washington Post" fact checker did give you four Pinocchios about that. That it's true.



ELLISON: They were wrong.



TAPPER: They were wrong.



ELLISON: Jake, I have not -- it's untrue, Jake, I'm sorry. And I'm disappointed that that is why you called me on your show today.



TAPPER: I didn't.



ELLISON: You know, because the Supreme Court --



TAPPER: That is not why I called you -- yes?



ELLISON: Jake, the Supreme Court has ruled that the president's ban on Muslims and Muslim countries and what started in his campaign rhetoric, that that is OK. And now, Jake, you want me to have to justify myself --



TAPPER: No --



ELLISON: Based on facts not true and always political. And so --



TAPPER: That is the question -- the question I had for --



ELLSION: -- it's a shame, Jake, because we can't have a real conversation.



TAPPER: It is a real conversation.



ELLISON: We can't a conversation about bigotry because -- we can't have a conversation about bigotry because you're going to say, well, what about you? Did you ever in any way or anyone -- know or see anybody who was ever bigoted and therefore, you have no moral standing to claim -- to decry bigotry. Jake, that's just not true.



TAPPER: I'm not saying that at all.



ELLISON: And I'm sorry we're having this conversation.



TAPPER: Well, the question I have about Farrakhan which you haven't --



ELLISON: Jake, I came on here to talk about the Muslim ban.



TAPPER: I understand that. The question I have for you --



ELLISON: And now, you're trying to put me on the spot. It's not fair.



TAPPER: The question I had for you that I've been trying to ask is, Farrakhan said in 2016, you met with him in his hotel suite in Washington, D.C.



ELLISON: That is a false -- that did not happen.



TAPPER: It did not happen. So, Farrakhan is lying?



ELLISON: That is untrue. I'm not -- I don't know if he's lying or not. I could tell you I was in no such meeting. I was in no such meeting. I've made that clear.



You know that, Jake. I have denied this because it's not true. But here I am on your show having to talk about this when the Supreme Court just upheld what the president said was a Muslim ban from the very beginning.



And so now I have to defend myself when that is not what the context of this discussion is about at all, Jake.



TAPPER: It was just a question I wanted to ask --



ELLISON: So, now, I was no such meeting.



TAPPER: OK. So, Farrakhan is lying about it. That's fine. If you're telling me that Farrakhan is lying --



(CROSSTALK)



ELLISON: Look -- maybe he is.



TAPPER: That is all I know.



ELLISON: But I could tell you this, Jake, I could tell you I was not in a meeting. What somebody subjective intent was, I will not speculate. I could tell you I was never in any such meeting as that. It's not true.



TAPPER: OK.



ELLISON: It's simply not true.



TAPPER: I wanted to get you on the record about it and that is --



ELLISON: And I wrote about this -- and I wrote about this months ago, Jake.



TAPPER: In 2017 --



ELLISON: And I think you know that.



TAPPER: You wrote about it in the Washington --



ELLISON: No, I was not in any such meeting with that individual. I simply wasn't.



TAPPER: OK.



ELLISON: If say lying -- I don't know. I mean, I wasn't in the meeting. I could tell you that.



TAPPER: He says that you and Congressman Carson met with him in a suite in his -- when he came to visit. You're saying it's not true. I will take you at your word. I certainly believe you more than I believe Louis Farrakhan.



ELLISON: I've said it repeatedly.



TAPPER: OK. "The Washington Post" fact --



ELLISON: Well, I hope so. But, Jake, this is not the first time I've denied this and I think you know that.



TAPPER: Congressman, it was just a question, you were talking quite a bit about the bigotry in your view of President Trump, the bigotry in your view of this travel ban, I thought it was worth asking about somebody -- a bigot with whom you used to associate, though, you have distanced yourself and condemned him since.



ELLISON: No. Jake, I worked on the Million Man March and I was proud to do so. That's it.