White Nationalist Rep. Steve King Defended By New York Rabbi
Congressman Steve King (R-IA) is under fire for a xenophobic tweet. Image by gettyimages
Rep. Steve King tweeted Thursday night that a New York rabbi paid him a visit to discuss the allegations of bigotry that came up against him during his most recent congressional campaign.
A photo shows Rabbi Moshe Vizel of the United Talmudical Seminary shaking hands with King, who was recently reelected to represent Iowa’s 4th district. King wrote that Vizel traveled to Washington to “discuss ‘false witness’ borne against me during the campaign.”
“A real friend who loves the truth,” he continued.
Rabbi Moshe Vizel came down from NY today to discuss “false witness” borne against me during the campaign. A real friend who loves the truth. pic.twitter.com/T8rJWTAEZy
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) November 16, 2018
King has frequently espoused white nationalist viewpoints. He recently told a far-right Austrian party with Nazi ties that “Western civilization is on the decline,” and accused the Jewish financier and political megadonor George Soros of being behind the so-called “Great Replacement,” a racist conspiracy theory alleging a purposeful campaign to replace whites with minorities. King was in Austria following a five-day trip to Poland paid for by a Holocaust memorial organization.
King also recently endorsed a white nationalist candidate, Faith Goldy, for mayor of Toronto. Goldy has participated in a neo-Nazi podcast and has praised the white supremacist leader Richard Spencer.
Following the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue late last month, religious leaders in Iowa came together to denounce King and convince donors to pull their support. Two local Jewish leaders described him in an op-ed as “an enthusiastic crusader for the same types of abhorrent beliefs held by the Pittsburgh shooter.”
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
