GOP congressman connects Colin Kaepernick to New York bombing suspect

After police arrested the terror suspect on Monday, Rep. Lee Zeldin tweeted: "You are welcome Colin Kaepernick"

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published September 19, 2016 4:51PM (EDT)

Today in conservative non-sequiturs, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-New York) rushed to connect Colin Kaepernick to America's most wanted fugitive, taking a swipe at the San Francisco 49ers' controversial backup quarterback after police announced they had apprehended a suspect in a series of bombings that rocked the New York area over the weekend.

On Monday, authorities announced that after a massive manhunt 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami had been apprehended in Linden, New Jersey. Rahmani is a suspect in the bombings in Manhattan and New Jersey over the weekend.

Following the news, Rep. Zeldin inexplicably tweeted a swipe at Kaepernick, who has pledged to protest the national anthem before NFL games in an effort to draw attention to police brutality:

Zeldin tweeted last month that Kaepernick "should think about the service members risking their lives to protect his freedom to be both rich and unpatriotic in NFL."

Zeldin, a Donald Trump supporter who represents the Long Island suburbs east of New York City, garnered headlines early this summer when he claimed that President Obama is racist:


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

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