While Donald Trump deals with the fallout of allegations that he’s not really as xenophobic as he appears, history shows that his connection to the Ku Klux Klan hits close to home.

The Washington Post reports that Trump’s father, Fred, was arrested after a 1927 brawl lead by the Ku Klux Klan in Queens, New York. On Memorial Day, 1,000 Klansmen donned their robes and marched through the streets of the Jamaica neighborhood. The march turned into a riot, and Fred Trump and six others were arrested. The records don’t indicate if Trump was one of the hooded Klansman, but he shared an attorney with the other men who were taken into custody.

Tech media outlet Boing Boing originally uncovered this report last September. Trump denied his father’s involvement, but the possible historical connection takes on new meaning in light of Trump’s new, strange relationship with the Klan. Former KKK leader David Duke professed his support of Trump’s campaign last Thursday (February 26). Trump tweeted a disavowal of Duke that he had previously issued at a press conference, yet he stumbled on CNN’s "State of the Union" and said he knew "nothing about David Duke" and failed to outright condemn him or the Klan. He blamed the incident on a faulty earpiece that he said made it difficult to understand the interviewer’s questions.

The furor also comes after last weekend’s brawl at a Klan rally in Anaheim, California, where three people were stabbed. Five Klan members were taken into custody, but they were released after authorities determined they were acting in self-defense. 

(H/t The Washington Post, Boing Boing, Gawker, Daily Mail, CNN, LA Times)