Billionaire Clinton donor calls Muslim congressman 'anti-Semite'

Israeli-American billionaire and Democratic Party funder Haim Saban, who donated to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, has called Muslim congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) an "anti-Semite and anti-Israel individual."

The remarks come as Ellison, the first Muslim representative to serve in the US Congress, pushes to shore up support in his bid to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

"If you go back to his positions, his papers, his speeches, the way he has voted, he is clearly an anti-Semite and anti-Israel individual," Saban said Friday during a forum at the Brookings Institution, according to CNN.

"Words matter and actions matter more. Keith Ellison would be a disaster for the relationship between the Jewish community and the Democratic Party,” added Saban.

The Anti-Defamation League this week attacked Ellison over his remarks on Israel in a 2010 speech, questioning his ability to “represent the Democratic Party's traditional support for a strong and secure Israel."

The group said the congressman raised "the specter of age-old stereotypes about Jewish control of our government."

Ellison responded by calling himself "a strong supporter of the Jewish state" and saying he's voted for more than $27 billion in aid to Israel and was committed to the safety of Israel.

“The audio [of the speech] released was selectively edited and taken out of context by an individual the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an ‘anti-Muslim extremist’,” Ellison said in a statement.

“My record proves my deep and long-standing support for Israel, and I have always fought anti-Semitism, racism, sexism and homophobia – the same values embodies by the Anti-Defamation League,” he added.  

Ellison said he was "saddened" by the ADL's statement but looks forward to working with them.