Peter T. King (R-N.Y.)

After the Sept. 11 attack killed over 150 residents in Eastern Nassau County, which King represents, the congressman became a proponent of George W. Bush's "war on terror," landing him the chairmanship of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Shortly into his new tenure began, King sparked national controversy and divided House Republicans when he announced hearings into the radicalization of American Muslims. In a letter to ranking Homeland Security member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), King wrote that he wouldn't let "political correctness" stop him from investigating Muslim Americans.

"Very simply, the Committee cannot ignore the fact that al Qaeda is actively attempting to recruit individuals living within the Muslim American community to commit acts of terror," "Pursuant to our mandate, the Committee will continue to examine the threat of Islamic radicalization, and I will not allow political correctness to obscure a real and dangerous threat to the safety and security of the citizens of the United States."

In His Own Words

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