DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Rep. Steve King says he asked Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison — a Muslim — about Muslims working in Iowa pork processing plants.

In an interview posted Friday by Breitbart News radio, King says he didn't know whether Muslims would handle pork, so he "talked with Keith Ellison about that, who would be the lead Muslim in Congress."

King says he learned an imam would need to grant someone a "special dispensation."

He adds that it would be OK because "as long as they're preparing this pork for infidels, they'll send them to hell and it must make Allah happy."

King adds that, "I don't want people doing my pork who won't eat it."

A spokesman for Ellison didn't immediately respond to a request for a comment.