Controversial rocker and State of the Union guest Ted Nugent previewed his trademark brand of political discourse on Tuesday, aggressively lashing out at a congressional critic who had denounced his presence at the address.
According to Politico, reporters asked Nugent to respond to criticism from Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who has spearheaded a successful push to get his colleagues to invite victims of gun violence and their relatives to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
"I threatened the President? Are you kidding me? Why don’t you just say that I’m a gay pirate? You’ve got to be kidding me,” he told them. “Why don’t you talk to the Secret Service guys who visited me and concluded nothing even hinted a threat against the president." Nugent continued, suggesting that Langevin was both "brain dead" and had "shit for brains."
Langevin, a gun control advocate who was paralyzed at age 16 after being struck in the neck by accidental gunfire, reportedly took issue with Nugent's history of violent rhetoric directed at Obama. Last April, Nugent claimed that he'd be "dead or in jail" in a year if the president won a second term in office. The remark drew him a visit from the Secret Service, which Nugent has long maintained was cordial and not overly concerning for either party.
While many have expressed skepticism about Nugent's presence at the State of the Union, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday she was more worried about Rep. Steven Stockman (R-Texas), the congressman who invited Nugent.
"I am more concerned about Steve Stockman being here than Ted Nugent," she told The Huffington Post. "Ted Nugent will leave. Steve Stockman will still be here."
Before You Go
