Republican Iowa Rep. Steve King compared the backlash to his comments about white nationalism to the passion of Jesus Christ.
King claimed during a town hall in Cherokee, Iowa on Tuesday that he now has “a better insight” into the suffering Jesus endured, and referred to his colleagues in the House as his “accusers.” (RELATED: Iowa GOP Senators Condemn Steve King)
“When I had to step down to the floor of the House of Representatives and look up at those 400-and-some accusers — you know, we’ve just passed through Easter and Christ’s Passion — and I have a better insight into what He went through for us, partly because of that experience,” King said.
Rep. Steve King compares himself to Jesus Christ, saying he can relate to what Christ “went through” after being stripped of his House committee assignments for making racist remarks in a Jan. 2019 New York Times interview pic.twitter.com/59tCMJUSRa
— Evan Semones (@evansemones) April 24, 2019
King also said that he was proud to represent a district with such a large Christian population.
“I’m grateful that we are the people we are,” King said. “We have a strong Christian ethic here and a high percentage of people who are true believers.”
The embattled congressman came under fire earlier this year after he made comments to The New York Times where he questioned what was wrong with the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacist.”
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King asked at the time. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
King’s comments were widely panned, and the eight-term congressman was stripped of his committee assignments. King is also facing a primary challenge within the Republican party, but still plans to run for re-election in 2020.