DA's staffer who praised Louis Farrakhan on leave after antisemitic remarks
An official in the Suffolk County District Attorney's office was placed on leave following revelations that he made antisemitic comments in a 2016 podcast interview.
An official in a Massachusetts district attorney’s office who is a disciple of Louis Farrakhan was placed on leave Friday after Fox News revealed he said his minister and mentor wouldn't be friends with "a Jewish guy that's got short arms and deep pockets."
True-See Allah, the director of community engagement/strategic partnerships at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office which represents Boston, has shown in social media posts and various interviews that he's a fan of Farrakhan, the well-known antisemitic leader of the Nation of Islam. He posted a photo of the two of them on Facebook in 2020, for example, with a caption calling Farrakhan the "Undisputed Champion for all of humanity."
Suffolk County DA's office, which covers Boston, said Allah was placed on paid leave after Fox News asked for comment on his antisemitic remarks.
"In keeping with our policy of intolerance for racism, bigotry, bias or prejudice against any segment of our population, we have initiated a review of information provided to us regarding alleged statements made seven years ago by True-See Allah," Chief Of Communications James Borghesani said. "Mr. Allah has been placed on administrative leave while the review takes place."
Before Allah's description of the Jewish man was revealed, the DA's office stood by its employee after Middle East Forum uncovered his priase of Farrakhan. In a statement, a spokesperson said Allah never espoused the Nation of Islam leader's "derogatory statements."
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During a 2016 interview, Allah recounted a story about his mentor, former Boston-based Nation of Islam minister Don Muhammad, introducing him to a Jewish man who was bringing a Reebok store to Boston. Allah said he met with the Jewish man when seeking a job and was later hired as a manager for the store.
"So I did a couple of temp jobs and then Minister Don had a, I want to say, a colleague, um, an acquaintance," he said. "I ain't gonna call him a friend 'cause he's a Jewish guy that's got short arms and deep pockets, but he was basically in charge of bringing Reebok to the Washington Park Plaza."
The comments seem to play into an antisemitic trope suggesting the man was both wealthy and stingy with his money.
In the same interview, Allah expressed his admiration of Farrakhan, calling him an "illustrious leader" and "the embodiment of righteous conduct."
Farrakhan has a long history of making antisemitic comments. In his speeches, Farrakhan has frequently referred to Jews as "the synagogue of Satan" and blames them for the slave trade, Jim Crow, and the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. He also often pushes homophobic rhetoric and bigotry against white people.
The Anti-Defamation League labeled Farrakhan the "most popular antisemite in America." His Nation of Islam, which formed in the 1930s, is America's largest Black nationalist group with around 50,000 members, but its influence often extends into mainstream society, according to ADL.
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In a podcast posted to Facebook on Sept. 11, 2022, three months after beginning his position with the DA’s office, Allah detailed a visit from Farrakhan and defended the Nation of Islam leader's reputation.
In an interview published Sept. 11, 2022, True-See Allah said police he encountered "gleam in the love that they had for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan." (Facebook)
"I'm getting escorted by the police as we pick up the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan from the airport," he said. "The police were so gracious to us, and they were so professional, and you could see the gleam in the love that they had for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, contrary to all of the reputation that some people were trying to paint incorrectly about him."
A spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, Tina Nguyen, told Fox News in a statement that the DA's office denounced antisemitism and other forms of bigotry. The statement, which was provided before the office was shown Allah's remarks about the Jewish man, also said the DA's office met with leaders of the Jewish community in the Boston area to address concerns.
"We have met with the employee to discuss his professional responsibilities and the impact his personal beliefs may have on others," Nguyen said. "The employee made clear that he has never supported derogatory statements made by Minister Louis Farrakhan, has never repeated them, and has never shared the sentiments behind them."
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Allah, during the Sept. 11, 2022, podcast, also discussed helping introduce a new leader of his mosque to officials such as Hayden and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.
"I'm doing everything I can right now in the city to connect Minister Randy [Muhammed] to the new police commissioner, the new district attorney — which is where I'm working currently — and getting the [Nation of Islam] the love and the respect that we deserve," Allah said.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former US President Bill Clinton attend Aretha Franklin's funeral at Greater Grace Temple on August 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
He added that meetings with the previous leader, his mentor Don Muhammed, were "always backdoor."
"Minister Don did so many meetings with so many high-level elected officials, but it was always back door," Allah said. "It was always quiet because of the misperception from the Jewish community and so a lot of that pressure has extended locally to Minister Don."
"They love us in secret, but publicly … a lot of people have to tiptoe around showing that love," he continued.
Allah also said Randy Muhammed was invited to sit in the front row of Cox's swearing in.
"It's my job, man, to get Minister Randy to the top," he said, adding that he met Hayden as a faith-based mentor representing the Nation of Islam at the sheriff's department.
Allah changed his name from Troy Christopher Watson after serving eight years in prison for a gang shooting. It was there that he was introduced to Don Muhammed and the Nation of Islam through a radio show. The minister, who died in 2017, led Boston's Muhammed Mosque No. 11.
Allah said in the 2016 podcast that in county jail, he began to learn about "the history of the [Black] nation." He said he didn't learn about the topic in school where "everything was white."
"So I begin to fall in love with myself, my true self, and tap into that history of being the builders of the pyramids and all of the great inventions and contributions that we made to civilization," he said, adding that he eventually became the "first officer" to Mosque No. 11.
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True-See Allah posted a photo of him with Louis Farrakhan, calling the Nation of Islam Leader "the undisputed champion for all of humanity." (Facebook)
In his 2020 Facebook post with Farrakhan, Allah encouraged his friends to listen to the Nation of Islam leader’s speech commemorating the group’s 90th anniversary. In his remarks, Farrakhan touted antisemitic beliefs, implying that Jews attempted to kill him with "radiated seeds" during his cancer treatment and claimed his "enemies raised the Talmud above the Torah."
He also called ADL CEO Johnathan Greenblatt and attorney and Zionist Alan Dershowitz "Satan" and said white people are "born with lie and murder in their nature."
A press release announcing Allah’s position in the DA’s office called him "well respected and experienced." Hayden said he's "grateful" to have Allah join the office in a role that includes guiding engagement initiatives and coordinating with staff "to provide services and resources to victims, survivors."
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He added that Allah is "beloved in Suffolk County’s communities" and that he loves "these communities right back."
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan delivers a speech and talks about President Donald Trump. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Allah previously worked as the director of reentry at Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and UTEC Inc, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting at-risk youth from engaging in violence, and was an assistant deputy superintendent at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department.
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Allah, a former gang member and felon, was granted a pardon in 2015 for a conviction of armed assault with attempted murder for his role in a 1989 shooting that left Mac-Arthur Williams Jr. paralyzed. The victim's family told the Boston Globe that doctors said Williams' eventual death from bladder cancer likely stemmed from the paralysis.
His wife later said she forgave Allah "just so that I’m not carrying any grudges or baggage."
Allah did not return Fox News’ request for comment.
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.