opinion

Swarens: Andre Carson won't rule out future meetings with Louis Farrakhan

Andre Carson doesn't shy away from speaking his mind. Indianapolis' Democratic congressman regularly blasts political opponents with clear, forceful criticism. He also fires back at his critics with a bluntness that leaves no question about what he thinks.

Carson — on matters that don't involve Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan — is straight-forward, plain-spoken, passionate.

So it was disappointing to hear Carson waffle over questions about his anemic response to a horribly anti-Semitic speech that Farrakhan recently gave in Chicago.

In a 50-minute phone interview on Friday, Carson avoided criticizing Farrakhan directly, declined to characterize Farrakhan's remarks as "hate speech," and would not rule out meeting with Farrakhan in the future to discuss policy concerns.

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A bit of context: In late February, Farrakhan during a speech in Chicago declared, “Powerful Jews are my enemy.” He also said Jews are “responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men." And he added this: “White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God’s grace, has pulled the cover off of that Satanic Jew, and I’m here to say your time is up, your world is through.”

Farrakhan's comments were vile. But they were not a surprise. His history of spewing anti-Semitic remarks stretches back more than 30 years. Here's how the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center characterizes the Nation of Islam: "Its bizarre theology of innate black superiority over whites — a belief system vehemently and consistently rejected by mainstream Muslims — and the deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric of its leaders, including top minister Louis Farrakhan, have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate."

Which raises a few questions. Why was Women's March co-president Tamika Mallory in the audience last month to hear the bigoted ramblings of the longtime leader of an organized hate group? Why did Carson sit down with Farrakhan in 2015 to discuss issues such as crime, discrimination against women and the dangerous influences of gangs on African-American youth? How much hatred must Farrakhan spread before Carson and other prominent Democrats disavow and distance themselves from him?

On Friday, Carson told me more than once that he opposes "anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, sexism, racism — all the isms and all the phobias."

What's missing from that comment was any mention of Farrakhan. Carson and others have been criticized recently for wanting to have it both ways: they freely denounce bigotry in all its forms, but they've been unwilling to tie such bigotry directly to Farrakhan.

Carson said that he agreed to meet with Farrakhan in 2015, in the minister's hotel suite, because they have a shared interest and passion for improving the quality of life in urban neighborhoods. The Washington Post Fact Checker on Friday tagged a third participant in that meeting, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, with the maximum four Pinocchios for claiming that his interactions with Farrakhan stopped in 2006. The Post gave Carson credit for at least acknowledging that the meeting occurred. (Carson and Ellison are the only Muslim members of Congress).

I asked Carson if he would rule out any future meetings with Farrakhan. "No meetings are planned," he said.

But will you make it a matter of principle not to meet with him because of his anti-Semitic comments? "I often attend banquets and other events where I don't know who will be seated near me," Carson said.

That can be hard to control, I agreed. But will you rule out another meeting like the one you had with Farrakhan in 2015? Carson would not say that, even after I circled back to the question later in the interview.

In a flash of anger, the congressman reserved his strongest comments during our interview for WIBC talk show host Tony Katz, who's been sharply critical of Carson recently for refusing to denounce Farrakhan.

"I think what Tony Katz is doing on WIBC is hate speech," Carson said. "He's putting my life and my children's lives in jeopardy. He's jeopardizing the lives of staff members in my office."

Last week, Carson dismissed the Republican Jewish Coalition's call for him and six other members of the Congressional Black Caucus to resign over their connections to Farrakhan.

“That organization doesn’t have any credibility with me," Carson told Fox59. "I know they have a political agenda."

During our interview, Carson defended his decision to sit down with Farrakhan by citing meetings he's had with two other controversial leaders: President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"A lot of my Arab friends were extremely critical of me" for meeting with Netanyahu, but Carson said he seized the opportunity to press the prime minister for better treatment of Ethiopian Jews in Israel.

And he said he told Trump during their meeting that the president's record of racially insensitive comments has caused deep pain and fear for many Americans.

Did you, I asked, take the opportunity in your meeting with Minister Farrakhan to confront him about the damage his anti-Semitic comments have caused? Carson acknowledged that he didn't, saying it wasn't necessary because Farrakhan opened the meeting by talking about how his past experiences had shaped his opinions.

I don't think for an instant that Andre Carson shares Farrakhan's repugnant views about Jewish people. And I believe Carson when he says that he rejects "all the isms and all the phobias." His record in public life supports that claim.

But Carson's refusal to stand unequivocally against Farrakhan's hatred is disturbing. It should be easy for him to say, "I'll never again meet with Louis Farrakhan to discuss public policy or any other issue." After all, we're talking about the 84-year-old leader of a hate group who has shown no remorse for spreading ugly stereotypes.

Farrakhan long ago disqualified himself from any legitimate role in American politics. Carson and other Democratic leaders should have publicly shunned him long before the Chicago speech. The fact that they still haven't is a stain on their record and their party.

Contact Swarens at tim.swarens@indystar.com. Friend him on Facebook; follow him on Twitter @tswarens.