Blum ‘hack’ post comes under attack

WATERLOO — U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-1st District, has once again raised ire in Washington, D.C., and back home, for a social media post.

The congressman, who was sworn into a second term last week, posted to Facebook Sunday, 'Walked to work past DNC HQ this afternoon. Nobody there — I guess they couldn't 'hack' this cold weather.'

The post showed a picture of the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., which was subject to hacks during the 2016 campaign. Blum's post comes on the heels of a new report from the nation's intelligence community that expressed confidence the Russian government was behind the hacks with the purpose of hurting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and boosting now-President-elect Donald Trump.

Several responses on Facebook to Blum's post were from Iowans who criticized him for making light of the serious situation, and knocked his comedy skills. A few, however, suggested the responses were from liberals 'trolling' the congressman.

Blum said in a statement the outrage is a symptom of political correctness.

'The fake outrage and political correctness of the Washington, D.C., elite is exactly what people in the rest of America are sick of. My advice to Washington is to relax a little bit and let themselves chuckle at a harmless joke. We all need a little more humor in our lives, especially in the joyless world of politics,' Blum said in a statement.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee did not see it as a harmless joke and called on Blum to apologize for not taking the hacking allegations more seriously.

'Congressman Rod Blum clearly and naively believes that Russia's meddling in our election and the threat they pose to our national security and infrastructure are laughing matters,' said DCCC spokesman Tyler Law. 'Rod Blum's refusal to put America first is both dangerous and unpatriotic. He should immediately apologize.'

Meredith Kelly, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, tweeted: 'This reminds me of when @RepRodBlum tweeted angrily re: cranes & DC needing a recession. Except ... way more serious.'

The Iowa Democratic Party similarly noted Blum's previous 'recession' comments and noted in a tweet, 'Tampering with our democracy is no laughing matter.'

Blum found himself similarly criticized in March 2016, both by Democrats and Iowans, for tweeting a picture of cranes in Washington, D.C., and saying the district needed a 'recession.'

Blum at the time, likewise, dismissed the criticism as 'fake outrage from D.C. Democrats' and part of what's wrong with politics.