Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) wrote Saturday that he was "proud" of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for taking a stand against recent allegations that Huma Abedin, a top Hillary Clinton aide, has Islamist ties.
"It was gratifying to see several senior Republican leaders including Arizona Sen. John McCain and House Speaker John Boehner -- third in line from the presidency -- denounce Rep. Bachmann's baseless accusations of disloyalty," Ellison wrote in the Washington Post in reference to the allegations made by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and other House Republicans. "When McCain went to the Senate floor to defend a patriotic American, Huma Abedin, I was proud to see him do it."
Ellison continued: "When religious or ethnic intolerance arises from the miry quicksand of hateful thinking we should respond. This broad and swift public rebuke of fear-mongering and guilt by association is refreshing and should give us hope."
The controversy began when Bachmann and four GOP congressmen signed letters insinuating that Abedin, who is Clinton's deputy chief of staff and the wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), has ties to the extremist Muslim Brotherhood organization through her family. The letters also leveled accusations at other Muslim-Americans working in government.
McCain took to the Senate floor shortly after news of the letters broke, condemning Bachmann and her colleagues for their "unfounded" attack on Abedin.
"These allegations about Huma and the report from which they are drawn are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman, a dedicated American, and a loyal public servant," McCain said.
However, not everyone was as "proud" of McCain as Ellison.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), one of the letters' co-signers, labeled McCain as "numbnuts" for speaking out against the accusations. McCain was also targeted by an Arizona Tea Party leader, Wes Harris, who pledged to start a recall effort against the longtime senator.
“Go to hell, Senator, it’s time for you to take your final dirt nap,” Harris wrote.
Ellison, one of two Muslim-Americans currently serving in Congress, was also targeted by Bachmann. During an appearance on the Glenn Beck show earlier this month, the Minnesota Congresswoman alleged that Ellison is also affiliated with the radical group.
"He has a long record of being associated with [the Council on American–Islamic Relations] and with the Muslim Brotherhood," Bachman said.
Ellison laughed off the charge, telling HuffPost's Jen Bendery that the accusations were completely false.
"I think she thinks that we're evil because we don't understand God the way she does," Ellison said of Bachmann. "It must be very frightening to see the world through her eyes."
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