Hillary Clinton has appointed to her leadership team a former congressman who blamed his defeat on "Jewish interests" and the "Jewish media," her campaign announced earlier this month.

The Clinton campaign named Earl Hilliard, Sr., who served in Congress from 1992 to 2002, as part of her 60-member Alabama leadership team on Nov. 20.

Hilliard, who lost to then-Democrat Artur Davis in 2002, was considered one of Israel’s most vocal opponents in Congress. Davis, a staunch supporter of Israel who became a Republican in 2012, had the backing of groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League in the election.

Shortly after Hilliard’s defeat, the former congressman gave an interview to the Black Commentator in which he said "Jewish interests" bought the election for Davis.

"The only thing I know for sure, that I saw in black and white, is $1,098,000 that [Davis] reported," said Hilliard in the July 16, 2002 interview. "You can’t take money from corporations, so that came from Jews and Republicans. There’s no question where that money came from."

Hilliard said his opponent also received millions of dollars in free media coverage.

"Remember, the Jewish media. They started putting word out, they wanted everybody to know, because … obviously they felt that the money they had, that they put in, that they were going to beat me," he said.

According to Hilliard, billions of dollars were being taken from poor communities and sent to Israel. He said Davis "made a pact with the Israelis" and "was used."

"[Davis] doesn’t know that his victory sent a message to other Blacks of my era that they better be careful what they say or how they deal with the Israeli or Jewish question," said Hilliard.

Hilliard also said that one mainstream Jewish organization wrote to him after the election and told him he "ought to stop whimpering because, after all, they didn’t replace me with a white."

"There is a group out there that wants to dominate us," he added. "They want us to do what they want us to do … and to Hell with our agenda if there is a conflict."

The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Reached at his home, Hilliard told the Washington Free Beacon that he did not recall the 2002 interview with the Black Commentator. However, he confirmed that he believes Jewish interests were responsible for his electoral defeat.

"Well, that’s true. Because they believed that I was anti-Jewish or anti-Israel," said Hilliard. "They believed it. They were against anyone who they believed was anti-Israel."

He said he was not anti-Jewish, but had disagreements with Jewish people about Israel.

"For whatever reason there are people who have always tried to bring a wedge between me and Jewish people who I disagree with on one subject area," said Hilliard.

Hilliard asked the Free Beacon to email him a copy of the Black Commentator interview so that he could comment on it. He did not respond by press time.

The Black Commentator is an online magazine founded in April 2002 for "African Americans and the African world and their allies in the movement for economic justice, social justice and peace."

Hilliard’s campaign was also accused of distributing an anti-Semitic leaflet against Davis in the 2002 race.

"Mr. Davis must simply understand that Jews the world over have never come to the aid of black or dark skin people because it was the right thing to do," said the flyer.

Hilliard denied any connection to the advertisement. After the election, he warned that his loss would incite "retribution" against Jews.

"I see a future with a great deal of conflict between African-Americans and Jews in this country," Hilliard told the Associated Press on June 28, 2002. "It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I don’t think African-Americans are going to sit back and let this continue. There will be retribution."

In 1997, Hilliard came under fire for traveling to Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya while it was designated as a terrorist state and under U.S. sanctions. The then-congressman said he made the trip in order to support dialogue.