Iowa’s 4th Congressional District Representative is responding to some comments and actions made by fellow Republicans recently.

Campaign donation records report Governor Terry Branstad contributed money to Iowa State Senator Randy Feenstra, who is one of the Republican challengers running against incumbent Steve King in the June 2020 primary. King says when he was Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential national campaign co-chair, Branstad told Iowans he wasn’t going to endorse a candidate for president but then said anyone but Cruz. However, King points out Cruz went on to win the Iowa caucuses despite the strongest unendorsement the state has ever seen.

King says instead he’s more concerned with not hearing anything from Branstad in his current position as U.S. Ambassador to China during the trade talks. “People come to me and they say, ‘Why don’t we hear from Ambassador Branstad?’ Well we finally did he wrote a check to a primary opponent. And I think he has to answer as to why that is.”

King has also received criticism from Governor Kim Reynolds when she rejected King’s comments he made in a New York Times article when he said in part, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King responds, “The governor has my cell number. The New York Times misquoted me. And I think people should go back and ask her, ‘Do you believe the New York Times over Steve King and if so why? Has he ever lied to you? Or has the New York Times ever misprinted anything or misquoted anyone?’”

King served as Reynolds campaign co-chair during her gubernatorial election. To hear more from King, listen today’s Community State Bank Let’s Talk Greene County program.