Watch CBS News

Iowa Rep. Steve King under fire for tweet about "somebody else's babies"

Rep. Steve King has come under fire for a comment he made Sunday on Twitter in which he voiced support for the views of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilder who has called for ending immigration of Muslims to the Netherlands and banning the Koran.

King, an Iowa Republican, was referring to a tweet about Wilders from the account of an outlet called Voice of Europe, whose biography on Twitter says, “Real news from a beautiful continent in danger.” It describes itself as anti-European Union and pro-Europe. It also has the acronym for President Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Former KKK leader David Duke praised King on Twitter.

Backlash against his tweet, however, erupted among both Democrats and Republicans.

King was asked about his tweet during an interview on CNN Monday morning. He defended the comment, saying “of course I meant exactly what I said, as is always the case.”

CBS News’ Catherine Reynolds contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.