Congressman to Protester: 'I'll Drop Your A--'

A freshman congressman in California is getting some unwanted attention after briefly losing his temper with a protester. Rep. Steve Knight is seen on the video posted at SantaClarita.com leaning in close to the protester and saying, "If you touch me again, I'll drop your ass." That came after the man identified only as Mike shook Knight's hand in a not-so-friendly manner and then slapped him on the shoulder a few times—all the while accusing Knight of being a liar and voting in favor of "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.

After the exchange, Knight quickly regains his cool and tries to explain to the group the legislative complications surrounding the vote, which was tied into funding of Homeland Security. Philip Bump of the Washington Post explains the details for those interested, but he also finds a lesson in the encounter for both: "You should not smack a member of Congress on the shoulder while backed up by a large angry group of people. Members of Congress, however, should not physically threaten a protester, constituent or not." (More congressman stories.)