Ted Nugent is back in the headlines thanks to the Kathy Griffin controversy that is still raging. The comedian used Nugent as an example during her press conference on Friday, pointing out his controversial statements in the past and prompting a response from Nugent.
Nugent is no stranger to controversy, with the Motor City Madman sharing unwanted opinions about the Sandy Hook Massacre, Black Lives Matter, and other hot topics of the day. He’s also had some contentious opinions about President Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over the years. Not only did he say both should be hanged after he watched the Benghazi film 13 Hours, but he also got a visit from the Secret Service for this comment during a 2012 NRA convention:
If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will be either be dead or in jail by this time next year.
And before that in 2007, Nugent took aim at both politicians again while on stage. With two “machine guns” in hand according to Rolling Stone, Nugent said the following:
“Obama, he’s a piece of sh*t. I told him to suck on my machine gun. Hey Hillary,” he continued. “You might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless b*tch.”
It’s incidents like these that Griffin referenced during her press conference, echoing many others who are curious about the differences between the two.
Well, don’t worry because Nugent took the time to call into Fox News Specialists to defend himself and point out just why the things he said in the past are nothing compared to Griffin’s photo shoot. When questioned about the two incidents above, Nugent was quick to clarify that while the Secret Service did pay him a visit, he did not mean any harm with the comments:
“They concluded, absolutely conclusively, I did not threaten anybody’s life,” Nugent said. “Yet Kathy Griffin and the whole left … just repeats the lie that I threatened the president’s life. Never happened.”
And as for the machine gun talk, Nugent defends that by calling it an “outrageous metaphor” that never threatened anybody’s life:
“It’s good to see that everyone is condemning Kathy Griffin’s action, because it is nasty,” Nugent said. “This is a world of terrorism, where beheading is a reality. … She actually referenced that to the president of the United States.”
He said likening his comments to Griffin’s photo is like comparing “apples and grenades.”
“I did nothing to harm anyone. She came out with symbolism that was truly vile,” Nugent said. “This kind of conduct is absolutely reprehensible and unacceptable.”
While none of this excuses Griffin’s decision and the photo, you have to question a guy who says it is a metaphor when he’s holding a machine gun and telling the president to suck it. It also doesn’t excuse any of the other questionable things he has done in the past.
(Via Fox News Insider / Rolling Stone / The Atlantic)