A Republican lawmaker has initiated a controversial start to the new GOP-led Congress by making comparisons between President Barack Obama and German dictator Adolf Hitler.
Texas Rep. Randy Weber, a conservative who represents a district based in Galveston, slammed the president for not attending Sunday's anti-terrorism march in Paris with other world leaders following last week's terrorist attacks in France, International Business Times reported.
"Even Adolph Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris. (For all the wrong reasons.) Obama couldn't do it for right reasons," the Texas congressman, currently in his second term representing Texas' 14th District, tweeted on Monday night, referring to Hitler's visit to Paris in 1940 after Nazi troops had succeeded in invading and occupying France.
The peace demonstration in Paris, attended by 3.7 million people, was also held to honor 17 victims that were killed at the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store, OnPolitics reported. The White House apologized on Monday amid mounting criticism, with Press Secretary Josh Earnest admitting that a "higher-profile official" should have been sent.
While the controversial message was retweeted by more than 500 people, it also attracted outrage from social media users, including the National Jewish Democratic Council.
"Congressman Randy Weber's comparison is beyond vile and insulting," said Josh Schwerin, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman, in a statement Tuesday.
Aside from Weber, House Speaker Newt Gingrich also said Obama's refusal to participate showed "the cowardice continues."
Even Republicans across Capitol Hill criticized the White House and its decision not to send the president to France since some of America's closest allies including French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were all in attendance, according to National Journal.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Weber has garnered headlines for making inflammatory remarks on the president.
In January 2014, Weber senT an incendiary tweet from the House floor criticizing Obama as the "the Socialistic dictator" and the "Kommandant-In-Chef" during a State of the Union Address.
