Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) expressed not one single ounce of contrition when asked about his widely condemned post on X about dogs and Muslims — a remark Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) had slammed as “genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I have ever seen issued by an American official.”
Fine faced bipartisan backlash earlier this week after responding to a satirical post from a Palestinian American activist about dogs being “unclean” and possibly unsuitable as indoor pets. He wrote: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
When Fine appeared Tuesday on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America,” co-host Marc Lotter referenced the “recent heat” the lawmaker had received over the post.
Lotter falsely claimed Fine was responding to “a major New York City Muslim leader, who suggested that we have to give up our dogs because, quote, ‘NYC is coming to Islam’” and gave him “an opportunity to respond.”
Fine, who has made bigoted, Islamophobic comments on multiple previous occasions, doubled down, offering his own spin on the controversy.
