Steve King sidesteps immigration

DES MOINES, Iowa — Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) made no mention of immigration during his Iowa Freedom Summit speech, skirting the issue he’s best known for and where he often creates controversy.

{mosads}King, who is co-hosting the first major candidate cattle call of the 2016 presidential cycle, avoided any comment on the hot-button issue.

The event has drawn more than a half-dozen GOP White House contenders including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Other potential top candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, declined to come. King tweaked the Republicans who stayed away from the event.

“Do you believe that the next president of the United States is going to be speaking from this stage to you today?” he asked to roars from the crowd. “As do I.”

King spent most of his speech ripping into “the degredation of American exceptionalism” and what he sees as  Obama’s executive overreach, saying the next president must “restore that separation of powers.” His loudest applause came when he called for abolishing the IRS. 

The congressman has routinely stirred controversy on immigration — most recently by criticizing First Lady Michelle Obama for hosting a “deportable” young student as a State of the Union guest.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) was in town to attack those speaking at the event, saying in a press conference across the street. Republicans came to “kiss Steve King’s ring” and “give extremism a stage.”