PHOENIX, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- An Arizona state lawmaker says her comparison of U.S. President Obama to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is justified because they shared views on guns and healthcare.
State Rep. Brenda Barton, a Republican from rural Payson, called Obama "de Fuhrer" on her Facebook page, Huffington Post reported. She defended the description in an interview Monday with the Arizona Capitol Times.
Barton said Hitler's World War II-era Nazi government did not start with death camps.
"You better read your history. Germany started with national healthcare and gun control before any of that other stuff happened. And Hitler was elected by a majority of people," she said.
Barton also called on Facebook for Arizona residents to urge county sheriffs to reopen federal parks in the state. She posted a Catholic News Service article about military chaplains being threatened with dismissal if they continue to have religious services during the shutdown.
