Walz has a lot of secrets to hide. But this one may take the cake.
And Tim Walz’s biggest skeleton in his closet has just been revealed in a disturbing twist.
Tim Walz has been surrounded by controversy ever since he was announced as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick for the 2024 election.
Most notably, Walz has been the subject of stolen valor claims regarding his military service.
But now, a new controversy centered around Walz has been discovered. And it will only be sure to hurt his credibility even further.
Walz Praises Cleric Who Supported Hitler Propaganda
During his campaign to become Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz referred to a Muslim cleric who had promoted a pro-Adolf Hitler film as a “master teacher,” highlighting the lessons he had learned from their time spent together. This revelation comes from a 2018 event, with footage uncovered by the Washington Examiner.
The emergence of this footage contrasts sharply with a statement from a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, who claimed that Walz does not “have a personal relationship” with Asad Zaman, the cleric in question, and the director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota.
This statement was in response to the Examiner’s report revealing that Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, had repeatedly hosted Zaman at events during his tenure as governor of Minnesota, where Zaman also frequently spoke.
At the 2018 event hosted by the Muslim American Society on February 16, 2018, in Rosemount, Minnesota, Walz expressed his gratitude toward Zaman. “I would like to first of all say thank you to imam,” Walz said at the event, where he was accompanied by Peggy Flanagan, who is now Minnesota’s lieutenant governor.
Walz, a former teacher, praised Zaman’s teaching abilities, stating, “I am a teacher, so when I see a master teacher, I know it. Over the time we’ve spent together, one of the things I’ve had the privilege of is seeing the things in life through the eye of a master teacher, to try and get the understanding.” He also recalled a previous attack on the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Minnesota, emphasizing a lesson from Zaman about discovering one’s true identity during difficult times.
Walz went on to discuss another lesson imparted by Zaman, focusing on how Congress “feeds on fear more than hope” and fosters division.
He shared that Zaman had encouraged him to engage with others and combat the demonization of Islam and immigrants. “In this space, Imam Zaman is right on this, there is Islamophobia, there is a hatred that is being stirred,” Walz remarked.
Zaman, whose organization faced criticism in 2019 after hosting an event where children called for the murder of Jews, has continued to make controversial statements.
On October 7, 2023, he expressed solidarity with Palestinians following an attack by Hamas terrorists that killed 1,200 Israelis, and his organization reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian cause.
Zaman’s social media history reveals further troubling connections, including sharing a link to a pro-Hitler film in 2015 and posting a Hamas press release in 2016 mourning an Islamist leader convicted of war crimes.
In response to these revelations, the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement condemning Zaman’s rhetoric. “Given his hurtful remarks post-Oct. 7, and absent any recognition of the pain he has caused the Jewish community, we urge all public officials and leaders to avoid meeting with him in the future,” the statement read.
The ADL also called on those who have associated with Zaman to disavow his views on Jews and Israel.
Under Walz’s administration, Minnesota has allocated over $100,000 in funding to Zaman’s organization, according to records. Neither Walz nor Harris’s spokespeople have responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
