FIRST ON FOX: The chief administrator of President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posed for a photo at the Democratic National Convention with one of the "top soldiers" of notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan, who has compared Jews to termites and previously called them "Satanic."
"Maaaaaaaaan, I had a great time seeing My Environmental Justice Squad along with My Political/Social Justice Squad mixed in with some HBCU LOVE, while here in Chicago," Terence Muhammad, the lead events and field coordinator for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Hip Hop Caucus, said in a now-deleted Facebook post last week with a photo alongside EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
"Yea, the EPA Administrator of the President's Cabinet is an AGGIE," he added.
Muhammad's social media profiles are littered with pro-Farrakhan posts and the Hip Hop Caucus, whose stated mission is to fight injustice and enact change, has been involved in key Biden administration policy decisions, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Hip Hop Caucus President and CEO Lennox Yearwood, who was also pictured with Regan and Muhammad, once referred to Muhammad as one of Farrakhan’s "top soldiers" and thanked Farrakhan for allowing Muhammad to be part of his organization.
"Bless Minister @LouisFarrakhan allowing one of his top soldiers [Muhammad] 2 be w/ me for #MOW50. Much LOVE to the NOI," Yearwood wrote in a now-deleted 2013 post, referring to Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.
"Happy Birthday [Terence Muhammad] You're a blessing to our Movement & our People!" Yearwood wrote in 2016. "Thank you for your love [Louis Farrakhan]."
In a 2014 Facebook post, Muhammad posted a photo of Yearwood and Farrakhan with the caption, "I am that I am(The Good) because I was introduced to a man named the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and a Life giving teaching from the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I can move/help my people like I do cause of Rev Lennox Yearwood, CEO/President of the Hip Hop Caucus. I work for these great men."
"Maaaaaaaaan [Louis Farrakhan] gave me life and [Rev Yearwood] gave me a lifestyle thru @HipHopCaucus to serve our people. I'm sooooo grateful," Muhammad wrote in 2017 with the same photo.
Despite the social media posts, the Hip Hop Caucus claimed they are not involved with the Nation of Islam in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"The Hip Hop Caucus and Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. have no relationship with the Nation of Islam and condemn the anti-semitic statements by Louis Farrakhan," a spokesperson said. "As a multi-platform organization, Hip Hop Caucus centers Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Queer folks in our voting rights, racial justice, and climate and environmental justice work, we believe in building true allied relationships with well-intentioned communities, who want to collaborate in good faith, as we work to make the United States a more just place."
White House visitor logs show Yearwood has visited at least seven times since Biden took office, with six of those visits happening in 2023. In the most recent example, Yearwood and two other Hip Hop Caucus officials, Tanya House and Cynthia Swann, were hosted in the West Wing for a private meeting with White House Domestic Policy Council adviser Sofia Carratala.
During a 2021 speech, Regan referred to Yearwood as a "good friend."
EPA spokesperson Timothy Carroll doubled down on defending Regan's partnership with Yearwood, telling Fox News Digital that the "EPA appreciates the important on-going work of the Hip Hop Caucus and Reverend Yearwood to advocate for environmental justice across the country" and that the "EPA condemns any statements of hate or prejudice against any group or individual based on religion, race, or background."
This statement is almost verbatim what Carroll said in March of this year when Fox News Digital asked about his association with one of Farrakhan's "top soldiers." Muhmmad's Facebook post appears to have been deleted shortly after Fox News Digital reached out to the EPA and Hip Hop Caucus.
In April 2015, during an event protesting police brutality, Muhammad posted a picture of Yearwood "with Malik Farrakhan and the brothers of the F.O.I." The acronym "F.O.I." appears to be a reference to the Fruits of Islam, the paramilitary wing of the Nation of Islam.
Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam have been heavily criticized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which was founded to stop the defamation of Jewish people and by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The ADL has called Farrakhan "one of the most prominent antisemites" and SPLC has classified Nation of Islam as a hate group.
Muhammad – who Yearwood described as a "dear brother and friend" in 2020 – has a long history of himself praising and, on multiple occasions, raising money for Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.
"Just for the record AGAIN. I love [Louis Farrakhan]. He is my heart," Muhammad said in a March 2018 post that included a picture of him with Farrakhan.
In addition to Regan, Muhammad posted photos with several other attendees at the DNC, including MSNBC host Al Sharpton, who has a long history of associations with Farrakhan, and disgraced Women's March leader Tamika Mallory, who has also praised Farrakhan and attended several events with him over the years.
Mallory previously faced backlash after she said that the controversial Farrakhan was the "greatest of all time because of what he’s done in Black communities." Mallory admitted to attending dozens of the Nation of Islam's annual Saviour's Day addresses, including one where Farrakhan said "the powerful Jew is my enemy."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House.
Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report
