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.

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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 fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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