Rep. Pete King took President Barack Obama to task Monday for his "shameful" defense of Colin Kapernick, accusing the president of "propagating the big lie against our nation's police."
"President Obama's defense of Colin Kaepernick is shameful and intentionally misleading," King said in a statement. "No one questions Kaepernick's right to protest. Every American can protest any issue no matter how biased, bigoted or uninformed."
King, R-N.Y., was responding to Obama's assertion Monday that Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, "cares about some real, legitimate issues." Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem out of protest for the deaths of several black men in police-involved shootings.
"By saying that Kaepernick is raising a legitimate issue when he says that police are intentionally killing and targeting African-Americans, President Obama is giving moral cover and approval to hideous slander, and propagating the big lie against our nation's police emanating from the likes of Black Lives Matter," King wrote. "The facts are that police shootings against whites are the same as against African-Americans, and in almost all cases justified.
"No one does more to save and protect all lives – black and white – than the police. It is the police who are being targeted and assassinated."
Kaepernick has said his protest is a means to bring attention to what he calls racial injustice, something Obama approves of, saying these are "issues that need to be talked about."
"President Obama says Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the national anthem and his slander against police is "messy." No, Mr. President, it is disgraceful," King wrote. "There is no moral equivalence between criminals like Michael Brown and innocent cops who are being assassinated. It is time for America to honestly address racial tensions and injustices.
"Kaepernick adds nothing intelligent to the debate. He just inflames those tensions. Sadly, the President has chosen to side with Kaepernick."
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