Rep. John Conyers, one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus and widely considered the dean of the African-Americans in Congress, bestowed a great honor on Louis Farrakhan over the weekend, by attending a three hour sermon before a crowd of 18,000 people in Detroit, sitting behind him and thereby implicitly endorsing his hateful message.

Conyers was already well-acquainted with Farrakhan's hateful messages, having last year publicly condemned him. Caroline May writes in the Daily Caller:

Last May, Conyers attended another Farrakhan speech at the Fellowship Chapel in Detroit where the black nationalist leader said President Obama "surrounded himself with Satan," talked about "Satanic Jew," the "Synagogue of Satan," and the like. Conyers ended up having to condemn his remarks.

"Last Friday, I attended a speech by Minister Louis Farrakhan at Fellowship Chapel in Detroit, Michigan. During this speech, Minister Farrakhan made unacceptable racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic statements, which I condemn in the strongest possible terms," Conyers said at the time, adding that he believed the Nation of Islam Leader would be focused on Detroit revitalization efforts.

"The fact that Minister Farrakhan has engaged in important charitable work aimed at expanding economic opportunities for underserved communities does not excuse these statements," he added. "I sincerely offer my apologies to my constituents and others who also may have been offended by the minister's words."

But hey, what's a little Jew-hatred between friends? All is forgiven, to the extent that Conyers was willing to be pictured seated behind Farrakhan as he unleashed his message, less than a year later.

Farrakhan, during the sermon Conyers attended, called for blacks to have their own courts. Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press writes:

In a fiery speech Sunday delivered to 18,000 at Joe Louis Arena, Minister Louis Farrakhan blasted the judicial systems in the U.S. as being biased against African Americans, calling upon the community to set up their own courts.

"We want equal justice under the law," Farrakhan said on the last day of the Nation of Islam's annual convention, held in Detroit this year. "Our people can't take much more. We have to have our own courts."

With Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones sitting behind him, Farrakhan spoke for nearly three hours, reiterating the Nation of Islam's view that the U.S. is a land headed for destruction because it has disobeyed the word of God.

With the retirement of John Dingell, Conyers becomes the longest-serving member of Congress and an even more potent symbol of the Democratic Party. American Jews continue to offer that party heavy support at the polls and in financial contributions. Go figure.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky