Rep. Steve King: Jesus Never Killed Anyone, Mohammed Did

HAYES: “I’m joined now by Congressman Steve King, Republican from Iowa who has endorsed Ted Cruz for president. Congressman, I saw some comments you made earlier today in reaction to Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims coming in to the U.S. you said you didn’t necessarily agree with it but you were glad it opened up space to be debated on the merits. Can you elaborate what you mean by that?”
KING: “Well, yes. Politically correct enforcement that’s out there in our society has tightened things down to the point where people just walk on eggshells and they are afraid to address things that are really on their mind.”
HAYES: “Yes.”
KING: “Donald Trump has opened this up wide. He’s made a very bold statement and he’s backed it back just a little bit when he said it is temporary. But now, that lets us all have an open conversation about what this might mean if Trump gets his way or how we might be able to adjust that and make American people safer. And I hope we are able to shift this debate over to the Middle East and change this debate to how we help the people in their home countries rather than believing we can be their relief valve for the poverty and the grief that’s in the world by bringing people here.” 
HAYES: “You talk about political correctness sort of tamping down. If someone were to say, we should not letting Jews into the country, and people had a reaction against that, would that be the same thing as that kind of toxic political correctness tamping down honest discussion?”
KING: “Well, if Jews in the name of their religion were killing Americans, then I think that would be an appropriate comparison. But as far as I know, there’s only one religion that’s doing that, and it is a segment of the religion of Islam that’s doing that. So, I don’t –” [crosstalk]
HAYES: “Congressman, let me stop you right there. Congressman, there was a man named Robert Dear who in court today, said he was a warrior for the babies, whose ex-wife talked about his Christian beliefs motivating his desire to attack and murder three people, including a police officer, in Colorado. That man is a Christian. He’s an avowed Christian. He appears to have acted on those Christian beliefs to undertake that act of violence.”
KING: “I don’t think that he’s following Jesus’ teachings. And —“ [crosstalk]
HAYES: “But who are you to say? He says he’s a Christian.”
KING: “That’s what he says, all right. But that’s not Jesus’ teachings. Jesus didn’t teach people to kill.”
HAYES: “But you’re doing the exact same thing that every Muslim I’d seen on air do in the wake of what happened in San Bernardino. They say they weren’t following actual Islam. Islam does not preach hatred and violence and destruction, right? I mean, why is this any different? You understandably as a Christian, as someone of the faith, right, you look at what happened at Planned Parenthood, you said that’s not the faith that I believe in. Millions and billions –” 
KING: “What Planned Parenthood is doing is not the faith that I believe in, but Jesus never ordered anyone to be killed and he never raised his hand to injure anyone specifically. But Mohammed did and there is a big difference in this. And so, they’re carrying on the traditions that are centuries old –”