Steve Knight Lashes Out at Conservative Activists

By Warren Rojas

Posted April 21, 2015 at 3:34pm

Updated 7 p.m. | Freshman lawmaker Steve Knight got so fed up over the weekend with the anti-immigration protesters who have been hounding him for months that he finally snapped.

“If you touch me again, I’ll drop your ass. Alright?” the vulnerable California Republican warned an activist who confronted him outside his Simi Valley office. Knight,  who in January replaced retired GOP Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, is facing a steep learning curve when it comes to fundraising (according to the latest Federal Election Commission data, Knight collected under $29,000 this past quarter).   The weekend exchange, first reported by <a href="https://www.santaclarita.com/mobile/blog_view_article.php?blog_entry_id=31513" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SCVTalk blogger Mike Devlin</a> , was captured by supporters of the immigration-reduction outfit <a href="https://www.numbersusa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NumbersUSA</a> . NumbersUSA has effectively declared open season on Southern California pols. Organizers have attempted to hold elected officials accountable on Homeland Security issues by dispatching camera-ready emissaries to public events in the hopes of stirring things up.   The group interrogated Knight not once, not twice, but thrice during an open house held at a district office in March.  <script id="5e2bd50d2be64735bd9c6970a280aeab">(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9484058d-cb86-4c6b-b476-f5e62bd11798&cid=69ef7590-f88b-4a7b-b1ad-bbee64894f4f'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9484058d-cb86-4c6b-b476-f5e62bd11798" }).render("5e2bd50d2be64735bd9c6970a280aeab"); });</script> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sF4igxG2xsk" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0EazS2S05uU" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> “I have dealt with this group on several occasions and every time they try to escalate our conversations to a level that is not constructive. Over this past weekend, I lost my cool and I regret responding the way I did,” Knight said in a statement shared with HOH.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SGnX-UPm6DY" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> Others who’ve been subjected to intense scrutiny include:   Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-bfjr1Pjm0" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NQrzg5RzJKc" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/87Li9oGb9UQ" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/91ce8lhKb0A" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> And Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Calif.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cyt8j5NVLLc" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> Don’t worry. Out-of-towners are savaged just the same.   Or so learned visiting Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez, D-Ill., after being jeered at during a swing through town to support Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif.   <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tx929z53YhI" width="445" height="250" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"/> A Knight aide told HOH the traveling congressman would be better positioned to weigh in on the verbal scuffle once he touches down in D.C.   <a href="https://info.cqrollcall.com/NewMemberGuide2014.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> The 114th: CQ Roll Call’s Guide to the New Congress </a> Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/register/main.html?pos=rr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in your inbox</a> or <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roll-call-news/id433753469?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">on your iPhone</a>. </body>

Steve Knight Lashes Out at Conservative Activists

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