U.S. Rep. Steve King on Thursday angrily denied reports linking him to a far-right Austrian political group, and shouted down a protester who compared the Iowa Republican's views to those of the suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter.

King told about 60 people who attended a candidate forum sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Partnership on Thursday that a recent Washington Post story claiming he met with the European right wing on a Holocaust remembrance group's dime is “all false.”

He blamed the Post story for a firestorm of criticism in recent days that has resulted in condemnations by Iowa Jewish leaders, decisions by several major companies to halt donations to his campaign fund, and rebukes from some fellow GOP members in Congress.

“You know the job I have done. Let’s deal with facts. Not these falsehoods,” King said.

More:Iowa's Steve King has a history of controversial remarks. Here are some that riled people up.

More:Learn about the Iowa district that re-elects Steve King year after year (and may do so next week)

Austrian Freedom Party pushes back against anti-Semites, King claims

Much of the latest controversy involves the report that King met in August in Austria with members of the Freedom Party, a political organization founded by a former Nazi SS officer. King said he and his wife, Marilyn, traveled to Europe as guests of a nonprofit Holocaust memorial group and they were guided by a Holocaust survivor from New Jersey who provided them with gripping details of his experiences. He said he also met with Polish Catholics because millions of non-Jews also died in the Holocaust.

King said he paid his own way for a side trip to Austria for a meeting with business interests. Although one of the people at the meeting has been identified as a member of the right-wing Freedom Party, he said the group was made up of “respectable people and leaders." He suggested the presence of the Freedom Party member was no different than finding a Republican at a meeting of Des Moines area business leaders. He said one of the members of the group with whom he met was Jewish.

King said that while the Freedom Party was started by a former SS officer, the man was also a minister of agriculture in Austria. He claimed the party was largely purged more than 50 years ago of anyone with a Nazi history.

“There is no party that is stronger, pushing back against anti-Semites, than the Freedom Party,” King claimed.

The Iowa congressman did not explain why he sat down for an interview with Unzensuriert, a website associated with Austria's Freedom Party.

Cameron Barr, managing editor of the Washington Post, issued a statement Thursday in response to King's remarks to the Des Moines Partnership meeting.

"We stand by our story on Congressman King’s trip to Austria. In his remarks at the forum, King himself confirmed many aspects of the story. Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis interviewed King for the piece and the congressman is quoted extensively in it. We have received no request for a correction or clarification from King’s office," Barr said.

King to protester: 'Nobody is going to listen to you'

King, who is opposed for re-election by Democrat J.D. Scholten in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, also became involved in a heated exchange with a member of the public who compared King's views and ideology to those of the suspect who is accused of killing 11 Jews on Saturday at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

“Do not associate me with that shooter. I knew that you were an ambusher when you walked into the room. But there is no basis for that and you get no questions, no answers," King told the man.

The person who asked King about Pittsburgh was Kaleb Van Fosson of Ames, a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, which held a protest outside the event.

“It is not tolerable to associate me with a guy who shot 11 people in Pittsburgh.” King added. "I am a person who has stood with Israel from the beginning. The length of that nation is the length of my life. I have been with them all along and I will not answer your question."

When Van Fosson continued to talk and asked King if he identified as a white supremacist, the congressman asked that the man be removed from the room.

"Stop it. Nobody is going to listen to you," the congressman told Van Fosson. "You are done. We don't behave like that in this country. Get out and stand out front with a sign."

About 60 people participated in a demonstration outside the Greater Des Moines Partnership building in downtown Des Moines before King arrived. They gave speeches denouncing King as a racist and extremist, chanted “Drop King now” and held signs which read “Bye Steve KKKing” and “Will Trade Racists for Refugees.”

Security was tight; two Des Moines police officers stood inside the Partnership building and the glass doors were locked. King entered the building through a rear door.

Prior to the meeting, Jay Byers, chief executive officer of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, sent an email to the economic and community development board’s members to alert them that a controversy had developed over King’s appearance.

"I wanted to make you aware that there has been a strong reaction from some individuals on social media, e-mails and calls regarding our decision to host Congressman King in light of the recent media coverage," Byers wrote Wednesday.

King has easily won re-election in the past, but this fall he’s facing an ambitious campaign by Scholten of Sioux City, a former professional baseball player. Scholten has raised more than twice as much cash as King and has been barnstorming the 4th Congressional District, which covers 39 counties in northwest and north-central Iowa.

The latest developments have arisen in the wake of the synagogue massacre but King has repeatedly made statements that critics call racist and extremist. Opponents also highlight King's association with far-right foreign political leaders. He recently endorsed Toronto mayor candidate Faith Goldy, a white nationalist who has claimed Canada is undergoing a “white genocide.”

Hugh Espey, director of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund, which organized the protest outside the Partnership’s offices, said his group knew of more than 200 calls and emails received in fewer than six hours Wednesday that demanded the congressman's appearance be canceled.

"It's wrong for the Greater Des Moines Partnership to continue with business-as-usual in this moment. This isn't about political difference. This is a moral issue and a wake-up call," Espey said. "Steve King bears some responsibility as a most prominent public figure, propagator and normalizer of white supremacy in this moment."

Byers defended the Partnership's decision to host King, pointing out in his email that the organization sponsors a candidate forum series each election cycle for Republican and Democratic party candidates for federal offices and the governor's race. The series heard earlier this fall from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and five candidates for Congress, including Scholten.

Byers said King was the final speaker in the nonpartisan organization's candidate series. He noted that the Partnership does not have a political action committee, nor does it endorse candidates.

"Our goal with the Candidate Forum Series is to provide a civil and open forum for our Investors and Members and others interested to hear from the candidates in advance of the elections," Byers wrote in his email. "As we always do, we will encourage civil discourse during Thursday’s event and ensure that everyone in attendance has an opportunity to hear from and learn about the candidate and ask questions."

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