As the New York City mosque controversy continues to brew, Harlem congressional candidate Adam Clayton Powell IV makes his position firm in this MSNBC appearance. He believes disallowing the mosque is the equivalent of racial profiling.
Powell IV says, “Controversy assumes that there is something wrong with the Muslim religion or something tainted about the Muslim religion. We have terrorists in every religion,” he continues.
He believes a more pressing matter for the Democratic party is the Charlie Rangel ethics scandal.
When asked if he believes that Rangel (his Democratic primary opponent) is doing a disservice to New Yorkers, by refusing to step aside, Powell IV responds by calling Rangel’s actions “selfish” and alludes to the fact that the entire congressional district is being dragged through Charlie Rangel’s issues.
“We fear that we may lose in November, the house, we may lose the Senate, and partly as a result of all these ethical violations that are swirling around Congressman Rangel. So we are asking him to do the right thing—to step down and leave with some dignity.”