Michigan congressman on Gaza aid: 'It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick'

FOX 2 (WJBK) - In a phone video gone viral, Congressman Tim Walberg, fielded a question about US money for humanitarian aid in Gaza at a town hall meeting in Dundee, last week.

"We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid," he said. "It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick."

The Republican, representing Michigan’s Fifth District – suggested a nuclear bomb be used in Gaza. He went onto say, the same tactic should be used to defeat Putin and help Ukraine win their war.

"Genocide is not a joke, and his comments sounded genocidal," said Dawud Walid, CAIR Michigan.

Muslim leaders everywhere are appalled.

"This individual, he is voting on defense appropriations and foreign aid that's going on right now towards war crimes," Walid said.

Walberg, 71, released a statement to FOX 2 saying his comments are being taken out of context. He then condemned the use of nuclear weapons.

"I used a metaphor to convey the need for both Israel and Ukraine to win their wars as swiftly as possible, without putting American troops in harm's way," he said. "My reasoning was the exact opposite of what is being reported: The quicker these wars end, the fewer innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire."

Walid begs to differ.

"Dropping nuclear bombs as a metaphor is no joke, especially relating to Hiroshima and Nagasaki," he said. "We know that if one nuke was dropped on Gaza, it would eliminate the entire population."

Walid is the executive director of CAIR - the Center for Arab-Islamic Relations – and says it’s these inflammatory comments that breed, even more polarized country.

"I would like to see the Michigan Republican Party come out and say this has no place in our party for genocidal comments," he said. "They are talking about dropping nuclear bombs on women and children," he said.

So far there have been no comments made by the state GOP.