A Democrat lawmaker is facing backlash after he allegedly said that "Americans should grab weapons and oppose US President Donald Trump by force if he does not follow the country's rule of law."
Tom Suozzi, a first-term congressman from New York had reportedly made the comments during a town hall meeting in Huntington, New York last week.
After being asked by a constituent about what consequences President Trump would face if he breaks laws, Suozzi replied that "it's really a matter of putting public pressure on the President and making it public. This is where the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) comes in quite frankly because you know, what if the President was to ignore the courts? What would you do? What would we do?" Suozzi said.
Suozzi's alleged comments did not go down well with the Republicans. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Chris Martin accused Suozzi of suggesting the Second Amendment as a means to oppose President Trump with violence.
"When resistance and obstruction don't work out, Tom Suozzi proposes violence. He's completely out of touch," Martin said in a statement to CNN.
Meanwhile, a representative for Suozzi defended the comments, saying that "to suggest his (Suozzi's) comments meant anything else or that he was advocating for an armed insurrection against the existing President (Trump) is both irresponsible and ridiculous."
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"Taking a page from such great Americans as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, Congressman Suozzi explained why our founding fathers created the Second Amendment as a way for citizens to fight back against a tyrannical government that does not follow the rule of law," senior adviser Kim Devlin said in a statement.
Suozzi was elected to the US Congress in November 2016 and began his first term in January last year. He serves as the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, and previously served as the mayor of Glen Cove in New York, and as Nassau County Executive respectively.
During the campaign for 2016 US presidential election, President Trump set off a similar controversy over his remarks on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, saying that the "right to bear arms was interpreted by many as a threat of violence against Clinton."
He later defended his comments and said that that he wanted his supporters to use the power of their vote to stop Clinton from appointing justices who could restrict their Second Amendment rights.