GettyA journalist has released a photo of Barack Obama taken in 2005 claiming the picture could have ended his presidential campaign.
Photojournalist Askia Muhammad released a photo earlier this week that shows the former president grinning next to the controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Taken in 2005 at a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) meeting when Obama was a state senator, Muhammad told Fox News that he was pressured to keep the photo secret in case it damaged the politician’s future career.
To see the picture and interview with Muhammad, watch the video below:
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Farrakhan has been known to make both anti-semitic and homophobic remarks in the past which resulted in Obama having to denounce them during a presidential debate in 2008 in Cleveland.
Asked why this picture has never been seen before, Muhammad explained:
I was honour bound immediately. The day the picture was taken, a staff member from the CBC called me and said that we have to have the picture back.
I was taken aback and we talked and I agreed to give the picture to Farrakhan’s chief of staff. I gave the original disc to him and in a sense swore myself to secrecy because I had quietly made a copy for myself.
Perhaps they sensed the future, Obama had only been in office for a few months but I think as people considered his ambitions the thought was that Minister Farrakhan and his reputation would hurt someone trying to win acceptance in the broad cross-section.
He also concluded that if the picture had been made public during Obama’s presidential campaign it ‘would absolutely have made a difference’.
GettyMuhammad also added that Farrakhan and members of the Nation of Islam were offended when Obama distanced himself from them.
He said:
Some were, many were angry and many were hurt that not only had Senator Obama denounced Minister Farrakhan, he had rejected him.
In the same interview appearing with Senator Clinton who also said that she rejected the support of some people she considered unacceptable.
People in the Nation have a sensitivity about this.
It is not clear why he has now decided to release the photo.
GettyThis follows news that Obama had once again been voted the most admired man in the world.
It is the tenth year in a row the 44th President has won the Gallup poll, which was released earlier this month.
17 per cent of pollers declared the former Commander-in-Chief as the man the world most admired with current president Donald Trump coming in second place with 14 per cent.
GettyThe poll also found that Trump’s former rival Hillary Clinton was voted as the world’s most admirable woman, beating out former First Lady Michelle Obama.
For Obama, the number of adults who have named him the most admired man is down from 22% last year.
