Steve King has fiery exchange at Iowa town hall

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) had a fiery exchange Thursday at an Iowa town hall with an attendee who asked whether he was a white nationalist.

King also took umbrage at the questioner for drawing a link between King’s rhetoric and the man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday.  

Steve King blows up at questioner who pressed him on the Pittsburgh massacre #IA04 pic.twitter.com/7sFQyY9fOW

— Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) November 1, 2018

“The terrorist who committed this crime, he was quoted as saying, ‘they bring invaders in that kill our people, I can’t sit back and watch our people get slaughtered.’ You, Steve King, have been quoted as saying, ‘we can’t restore our civilization with other people’s babies.’ You and the shooter both share an ideology that is fundamentally anti-immigration,” the attendee, a young man wearing a plaid shirt, said before King cut him off. 

{mosads}“Do not associate me with that shooter,” a visibly angry King said, pointing his finger at the questioner.

“I knew you were an ambusher when you walked in the room, but there is no basis for that and you get no question and you get no answer … You crossed the line. It is not tolerable to accuse me to be associated with a guy that shot 11 people in Pittsburgh,” King said.

The young man asking the question then said: “But do you identify as a white nationalist?” 

“Stop it. You’re done,” King responded. He then requested that security remove the attendee.

It was not clear if the man asking the questions was connected to any political group. 

King’s reelection race has tightened as he deals with new controversies surrounding his endorsement of a white nationalist candidate in Canada and revelations of his meetings with representatives of the far-right Austria Freedom Party.

King defended that meeting during the town hall, downplaying the party’s historical ties to the Nazi Party by saying that anyone in politics in the 1950s inevitably had Nazi associations. 

Steve King further explains the history of the Austrian Freedom Party and its past ties to Nazis pic.twitter.com/eIBC64OxQM

— Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) November 1, 2018

He later tweeted about the incident.

Leftist Media Lies have reached Peak Insanity and compared me to the evil Pittsburgh murderer of 11 Jews! Here is my reaction. https://t.co/ocOlnS0Zbg

— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) November 1, 2018

Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, blasted King earlier this week, tweeting, “Congressman Steve King’s recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior.” 

Congressman Steve King’s recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior.

— Steve Stivers (@RepSteveStivers) October 30, 2018

A number of companies, including tech giant Intel Corp. and dairy company Land O’Lakes, have announced in recent days that they will no longer contribute to King’s campaign.

One poll released Tuesday showing King ahead of his Democratic opponent by just 1 point. The Cook Political Report also shifted the race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” in a district President Trump won by 27 points in 2016.