Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Wednesday tried deflect criticism of anti-gay legislation in his home state by saying that LGBT people in Iran are treated much worse.

“I think it’s important we have a sense of perspective about our priorities,” Cotton said on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Wednesday, after host Wolf Blitzer asked him for reaction to the Arkansas governor’s decision not to sign the state’s contentious religious-freedom act. “In Iran, they hang you for the crime of being gay.”

“They’re currently imprisoning an American preacher for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in Iran,” he continued. “We should focus on the most important priorities that our country faces right now,” he said.

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