Rep. Steve King, Iowa’s greatest friend to far-right European political parties, did not respond gently when asked at a public forum why his anti-immigrant rhetoric sounded so much like the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s. The outraged congressman yelled his refusal to answer the question and then pointed out that he supports Israel.
“You and the shooter both share an ideology,” a man seated at the forum said calmly to King. “What distinguishes your ideology?” The congressman said, “Do not associate me with that shooter. I knew you were an ambusher when you walked into the room. There’s no basis for that.” He also said that he was a strong supporter of Israel. When the questioner asked if King identified as a white supremacist, King screamed, “Stop it, you’re done!” and asked for the questioner to be removed from the event.
King’s associations with racist and far-right political movements—as well as his conspiracy-drenched rhetoric about immigration, diversity, and George Soros—aren’t exactly new, but they’ve garnered national attention as he faces a serious challenge for his House seat.
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee Steve Stivers said earlier this week, “King’s recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate,” and “We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior.”
King had said that George Soros was helping to organize a “Great Replacement” of white Europeans by immigrants. He had also endorsed far-right Canadian media figure Faith Goldy in her run for mayor of Toronto.
On Thursday, King did not back down from his angry effort to silence the questioner. He instead retweeted the video.