Univision chairman Haim Saban took issue with Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison’s bid to lead the Democratic National Committee, calling him an “anti-Semitic and anti-Israel person,” Friday night at the 13th annual Saban Forum, the Times of Israel reports.
Saban, a major Democratic fundraiser, interjected during a Q&A session at the event when CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to comment on the Anti-Defamation League “disqualifying” Ellison for the DNC opening.
“The fact that Keith Ellison is a Muslim is a non-issue,” Saban chimed in. “If you listen to Keith Ellison today and you see his statements, he’s more of a Zionist than Herzl, Ben-Gurion, and Begin combined. It’s amazing. It’s a beautiful thing. If you go back to his positions, his papers, his speeches, the way he has voted, he is clearly an anti-Semite, anti-Israel individual.
“Words matter and actions matter more. Keith Ellison would be a disaster for the relationship between the Jewish community and the Democratic Party.”
In November 2015, Saban, an Egyptian-born Israeli, said that the U.S. should step up its scrutiny of Muslims in the wake of the deadly ISIS attacks in Paris.
“I’m not suggesting we put Muslims through some kind of a torture room to get them to admit that they are or they’re not terrorists,” he told TheWrap. “But I am saying we should have more scrutiny.”