Jocelyn Benson appoints Nation of Islam leader to her transition team for governor.

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Michigan Governor-elect Jocelyn Benson has appointed a Nation of Islam leader who has repeatedly promoted antisemitic rhetoric and defended the group’s controversial leader, Louis Farrakhan, to serve on her gubernatorial transition team — months after an antisemitism coalition removed him from an advisory panel over those same affiliations.

Benson, a Democrat who defeated Republican Rep. John James in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, selected Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad to serve on her 15-member transition council. The team also includes Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, and several other prominent Michigan Democrats.

Muhammad announced his appointment in a Facebook post, saying that the transition team would help prepare Benson’s policy priorities before she takes office. “With a Democratic trifecta, the opportunity to deliver resources and opportunities are increased,” he wrote.

But Muhammad’s appointment comes despite a record of statements and associations that have drawn condemnation from Jewish organizations. He is a “student minister” in the Nation of Islam and a self-described disciple of Farrakhan — who has made a number of troubling antisemitic remarks, including comparing Jews to “termites” and calling Adolf Hitler “a great man.”

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