Watch GOP Rep. Steve King explode when asked about the Pittsburgh shooting
As Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) faced the press and members of the public at a forum on Thursday, it was only natural that his ties to far-right ideologies would come up. But when someone asked if he could distinguish his views from those of the suspected Tree of Life synagogue shooter, well, he downright exploded.
An attendee brought up the suspected Pittsburgh shooter's anti-Semitic views, tying it to how King once tweeted that "we can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies."
King immediately fired back. "Do not associate me with that shooter," he demanded. The questioner then said he "was just about to ask what distinguishes" King from the shooter, but King cut him off, touting how he's "stood with Israel since the beginning" as an apparent explanation of his views. After snapping "stop it," King demanded the questioner be escorted from the room.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
King's views have earned condemnation from many conservatives, including the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, and corporate donors have similarly pulled away. Regardless, King was evidently pleased with his performance on Thursday, seeing as he retweeted the video not long after the forum ended.
A recent poll shows King just one point above Democratic competitor J.D. Scholten, but FiveThirtyEight and Cook Political Report still put the race squarely in King's favor.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
'Without mandatory testing, bird flu will continue circulating at farms across the country'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Khan supporters converge on Islamabad
Speed Read Protesters clashing with Pakistani authorities are demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jail
Speed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
China tries to bury deadly car attack
Speed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published