Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia apologized Friday for saying Democrats “are in love with terrorists” during an appearance Wednesday on Fox Business.
“Let me be clear: I do not believe Democrats are in love with terrorists, and I apologize for what I said earlier this week,” Collins, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote on Twitter Friday.
“As someone who served in Iraq in 2008, I witnessed firsthand the brutal death of countless soldiers who were torn to shreds by this vicious terrorist. [Gen. Qasem] Soleimani was nothing less than an evil mastermind who viciously killed and wounded thousands of Americans,” Collins, who serves as an Air Force Reserve chaplain, wrote.
Let me be clear: I do not believe Democrats are in love with terrorists, and I apologize for what I said earlier this week. (1/5)
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) January 10, 2020
“These images will live with me for the rest of my life, but that does not excuse my response on Wednesday evening,” he added.
Collins made the comment during an appearance on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” Wednesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scheduled a vote to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran. (RELATED: House Passes War Powers Resolution Limiting Trump’s Military Action Against Iran)
“They are in love with terrorists,” Collins said. “We see that they mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who are the ones who suffered under Soleimani. That’s a problem.”
Collins’s comment elicited an angry response from congressional Democrats, including former Army Lt. Col. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq.
“I left literal parts of my body in Iraq, where I was fighting terrorists,” Duckworth tweeted Thursday.
I left literal parts of my body in Iraq, where I was fighting terrorists.
Donald Trump spent months attacking an ACTUAL Gold Star Family.@RepDougCollins should be ashamed of himself for perpetuating this offensive lie. https://t.co/cboW42lPSu
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) January 9, 2020
“Donald Trump spent months attacking an ACTUAL Gold Star Family,” Duckworth added in reference to Trump’s criticism of the father of a slain Muslim soldier, Khizr Khan, during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Collins “should be ashamed of himself for perpetuation this offensive lie,” Duckworth said.
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