A candidate expelled from the race for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for criticising Islam tells Breitbart News he intends to sue for a breach of his First Amendment rights.

Vincent Tolliver, who previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in Arkansas, was expelled from the campaign by interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazil, after telling The Hill he didn’t believe his rival Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) should become chairman because of his Islamic faith, citing the religion’s positions on homosexuality.

“His being a Muslim is precisely why DNC voters should not vote for him. Muslims discriminate against gays. Islamic law is clear on the subject, and being gay is a direct violation of it. In some Muslim countries, being gay is a crime punishable by death,” Tolliver said.

“Clearly, Mr. Ellison is not the person to lead the DNC or any other organization committed to not discriminating based on gender identity or sexual orientation. I’m shocked [the Human Rights Campaign] has been silent on the issue. A vote for Representative Ellison by any member of the DNC would be divisive and unconscionable, not to mention counterproductive to the immediate and necessary steps of rebuilding the Democratic Party,” he continued.

Having participated in a forum for potential DNC Chair candidates on Saturday, Tolliver was consequently expelled from the race by interim chair Donna Brazile, who described his comments as “disgusting.”

However, Tolliver has now pledged to take legal action against the DNC, claiming a violation of his constitutional First Amendment rights.

Tolliver confirmed he would be taking legal action to Breitbart News, saying that the “Democratic establishment are denying me due process and are attempting to suppress my voice, in violation of my First Amendment right,” adding that he stands by his views on Islam.

“The DNC and the Democratic establishment are attempting to prevent me from freely expressing known and indisputable tenets of lslamic law. Moreover, through sleight of hand tactics, interim chair Donna Brazile falsely accused me of discriminating against Mr. Ellison and cast aspersions by suggesting I was intolerant of religious freedom,” he alleged.

“Furthermore, the DNC’s blocking my candidacy is a glaring contradiction to the 2016 Democratic Platform, that ‘as Democrats, we respect differences of perspective and belief, and pledge to work together to move this country forward, even when we disagree.’ I am a lifelong Democratic who believes in people and not power and elitism which has successfully corrupted the DNC and the Democratic Party,” he continued.

The DNC chairmanship election will take place later this month, with the winner being announced February 26th.

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