Man arrested for allegedly throwing glass of water at Steve King

A Colorado man has been arrested for allegedly throwing a glass of water on Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).

Local officials said 26-year-old Blake Gibbins, of Lafayette, Colo., was arrested for throwing water at the lawmaker shortly after noon on Friday at the Mineral City Mill and Grill in Fort Dodge, Iowa. 

King was reportedly eating a group lunch when Gibbons approached the table and allegedly threw water, hitting King and those at lunch.

Authorities said Gibbins was arrested and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. {mosads}

The Hill has reached out to King’s office for comment. 

The incident comes as King faces backlash for saying at a town hall on Thursday that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials told him the people of New Orleans asked for help during Hurricane Katrina flooding, while the people of Iowa have helped each other in the midst of major floods currently hitting the midwest.

“Here’s what FEMA tells me: We go to a place like New Orleans and everybody’s looking around saying, ‘Who’s gonna help me?’” King said, according to a video posted to his Facebook page. 

Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) called King a “white supremacist” for making the comments.

King also recently created controversy when he questioned how the terms “white supremacist” and “white nationalist” became offensive in a New York Times interview.

King has defended himself, previously asserting that he was referring only to “Western civilization” when asking “how did that language become offensive.”

The House passed a resolution condemning white supremacy following his remarks, with King supporting the measure. He was stripped of his committee assignments.