Republican congressman Steve King is rejecting accusations that he’s associated with an Austrian white supremacist group. Those claims have prompted condemnation from within his own party just days before Tuesday’s election.
During a forum with Iowa business leaders Thursday, the eight-term Iowa congressman said a Washington Post story this month wrongly characterized his August meeting in Austria as being with the far-right Freedom Party, a group with Nazi ties.
King says the meeting was with business leaders, including one with Freedom Party affiliation.
Washington Post officials say they stand by the story.
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee condemned King on Tuesday. Corporate backers have also withdrawn their support for him.
King, from Republican-heavy northwest Iowa, faces a competitive challenge from Democrat J.D. Scholten.
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
(AP)
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One Response
The Freedom Party is not a “white supremacist group”. It’s a legitimate major political party and there is no reason a US congressman should be ashamed of speaking at an event where its members are present! Imagine someone being forced to defend himself for speaking at an event where there were members of the US Democratic Party, or the UK Labor Party!