Rep. Steve King lashed out Thursday at a man who asked during a local event if he shared the same views as the suspected killer in the recent Pittsburgh synagogue shootings.
A man in the audience read statements the Iowa Republican and suspected shooter Robert Bowers had each made on immigration.
“You and the shooter both share ideology that is anti-immigration,” a man in the audience asked, unable to finish his statement as King interrupted him.
“No, don’t you do that. Do not associate me with that shooter. I knew you were an ambusher when you walked in the room. But there’s no basis for that. And you get no questions and no answers,” King said.
GOP Rep. Steve King erupts at comparison to Pittsburgh suspect as he faces a closer than expected reelection battle | @sarasidnerCNN reports https://t.co/hXSXPapoeX pic.twitter.com/CrCHQ0k4L9
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 2, 2018
The questioner continued talking, but his comments were inaudible over King’s louder response.
“You’re done. You crossed the line. It’s not tolerable to accuse me to be associated with a guy that shot 11 people in Pittsburgh,” King said. “This is over, if you don’t stop talking.”
King is one of the biggest proponents in Congress for conservative immigration reforms, but at times his social media posts and comments have landed him in hot water.
Recently, a senior House Republican called him out for recent statements and retweets seen as supporting white nationalism.
At the Thursday event, he said his support for Israel was proof he does not share Bowers’ hatred for Jews.
“I am a person that has stood with Israel from the beginning. The length of that nation is the length of my life,” he said.
It’s not clear who the audience member who asked the question is or if he is a constituent of King’s.
King is running against Democrat J.D. Scholten. RealClearPolitics has ranked his seat “likely GOP.”
