Ellison chokes up describing Muslim 9/11 victim

During the Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) hearings on radicalization and Islam, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim in Congress, broke down and began to cry while telling the story of Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a young Muslim man who died rushing into the collapsing towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

Ellison choked up describing the “false rumors” spread about Hamdani. Ellison cried when said it wasn’t until after his “remains were identified” that Hamdani was vindicated. Hamdani's mother, Talat, attended the hearing.

As cameras furiously clicked, Ellison finished speaking, got up and left the room.

After his moving statement, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), a member of the committee, asked Homeland Security Chairman Pete King (R-N.Y.) to waive the rules of the committee to allow every member of the panel to give opening statements – a step that would likely tack on more than an hour to the hearing.

King rejected, and moved onto testimony from Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.).