King compares criticism of him to persecution of Christ

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republican Steve King says the criticism he has faced from fellow members of Congress over his offensive remarks gives him “better insight” into what Jesus Christ experienced when he was persecuted for his beliefs.

The Sioux City Journal reports that King was attending a town hall meeting Tuesday in his home district in northwest Iowa when someone attending voiced concern about Christianity being persecuted in the U.S. King answered by drawing a comparison to facing his “accusers” on the House floor.

The House voted 424-1 in January to rebuke King for remarks he made to the New York Times in which he asked why the terms white nationalist and white supremacist came to be considered offensive. King was also stripped of his committee assignments.