Former CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill stated that Fox News host Sean Hannity and former host Bill O’Reilly were as problematic as Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on Friday.
His comments came on The Breakfast Club, a syndicated radio show based in New York City. (RELATED: CNN Contributor Condones Palestinian Violence Against Israelis)
Lamont Hill stated:
For some reason, if you meet with Minister Farrakhan and you don’t throw him away wholesale, then you’re castigated in a way that doesn’t happen with anybody else. I worked on Fox News for many years. No one ever said, ‘Why are you meeting? Why are you sitting with Bill O’Reilly? Why are you sitting with Sean Hannity? Why are you sitting with Ann Coulter?’ No one ever said that.
He continued:
And I’m not comparing Farrakhan to them except to say that if you think they’re extremist — well, I think they’re extremist. So why is only set of people untouchable? Why does every black leader have to ritually denounce Farrakhan in order to sustain a position? That doesn’t happen to anyone else. Again, Mr. Farrakhan is my brother. We don’t agree on some issues that I’ve mentioned.
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 09: Marc Lamont HIll and Scottie Beam attend the Being Mary Jane premiere screening and party on January 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)
One of the emphases of Lamont Hill’s interview was his dismissal from CNN after giving a speech in front of the U.N. in which he condemned Israel. He received significant backlash for his comments, specifically when he said, “Justice requires a free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
“From the river to the sea” is a political slogan used by Hamas and Palestinian nationalists who believe in eliminating the state of Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
His defense of Farrakhan is not new. In 2016, Hill met with and was photographed with him. Back in October, Farrakhan compared Jewish people to termites. (RELATED: Twitter Rules Louis Farrakhan Comparing Jewish People To Termites Doesn’t Violate Guidelines)