Rep. Doug Lamborn said on Wednesday that a painting in the U.S. Capitol building that depicts police officers as pigs is "hateful and divisive."
The painting is part of a congressional art competition, and California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter took it down last week. Missouri Democrat Rep. William Lacy Clay hung it back up, and now Lamborn and other Republican congressmen have taken it down again, according to The Washington Times.
Lamborn, a Colorado Republican, made the comments Wednesday during an appearance on "Fox & Friends."
"It's in blatant violation of the rules of the congressional art competition. This artwork is hateful and divisive. It shows cops as pigs shooting and killing people. And the congressional art competition is all about reflecting Congress, and Congress does not reflect divisiveness and hate. We want to bring people together, and this artwork violates the rules, and it's hateful on top of that," Lamborn said.
"Our country, and Congress, doesn't want to promote hateful and divisiveness, and that's all this painting does," Lamborn added.
He said he made his decision about taking down the painting when he heard an onlooker's comments about it. "I was standing there looking at it, deciding what to do, and someone stood behind me and said, 'My son is a cop. That's disgusting.' So for me, that was the last straw."
Lamborn was asked if he would take the painting down again, said, "If I don't, I hope someone else does."
Hunter said he did not regret taking down the painting.
"The Capitol Police are not going to arrest me for taking down a picture that portrays them as pigs," Hunter said.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.