CNN’s Jake Tapper wanted Rep. Keith Ellison to level with him as a former supporter of bigoted religious leader Louis Farrakhan.

“You’ve been decrying President Trump’s bigotry,” Tapper began. “Obviously you used to follow somebody who continually expressed sexist, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Semitic bigotry.”

“I would disagree with that,” Ellison said. “I agree that [Farrakhan is a bigot]… I don’t have any support for what the individual you just mentioned stands for, nor do I agree with Trump’s bigotry either.”

However, Ellison then implied that Tapper’s accusation was based off of the fact that he “sort of said something one time” that may have supported Farrakhan.

“You were a follower of Farrakhan, sir,” Tapper asserted.

“No, I wasn’t. Jake, I’m sorry. That is not true, Jake,” Ellison reiterated. “I want to say 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.”

“I hope that is not what your purpose is, Jake, because you’ve stood for an equal society but if you’re gonna try to put me on the spot and have to explain myself––I didn’t pass a Muslim ban,” he added.

Tapper pointed out that the Washington Post‘s fact-checkers gave Ellison “four Pinocchios” back in March for claiming that he had no relationship with Farrakhan.

“They were wrong,” Ellison insisted. “And I’m disappointed that that is why you called me on your show today.”

Ellison then accused Tapper of bringing him on the show to prove a relationship to Farrakhan and therefore to assert that Ellison has “no moral standing to decry bigotry,” an accusation Tapper flatly denied several times between defensive remarks from Ellison.

“Farrakhan said in 2016 that you met with him in his hotel suite in Washington, D.C.,” Tapper persisted.

“I have denied this because it is not true,” Ellison responded. “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.”

“It was just a question I wanted to ask,” Tapper replied.

Watch above, via CNN.

[image via screengrab]

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