Angry GOP Congressman Peter King is not backing down from his remarks, posted on YouTube over the weekend, alleging that the deceased pop star Michael Jackson was a “pervert” and a “low life” who “did some dancing” in between molesting kids. CBS 2 HD gave King an opportunity to fan his own flames, asking the congressman yesterday whether he regretted speaking ill of a dead man. Instead he launched into a further tirade about the “orgy of glorification” Jackson’s been enjoying since he passed, adding:
- “Yes, he
did
- violate young boys. He did put them in terribly inappropriate positions. And that’s a terrible signal to be sending out to society — that we’re somehow condoning that behavior. And you are condoning it when you give him the type of — when we give him the type of regal coverage! And millions of people fighting to get to this mega-memorial! I mean, this is — this is wrong!”
Gracefully, King then added that although he was perfectly content to rant and rave about a dead man who was beloved by millions over the long weekend that preceded Jackson’s memorial, he would nobly keep silent on the day itself: “I will not be speaking tomorrow, on the day of his memorial. I mean, here’s a guy who had so much; in the end, he really had very little.” So at least there’s that. Meanwhile, Democrats are apparently already using the congressman’s rant to raise money for as-yet-unchosen Democratic contender for King’s House seat. May their campaign song be “They Don’t Care About Us.”
Rep. King Continues Jackson Rant To CBS 2 HD [CBS 2 HD, via Gothamist]