Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that he didn't understand why some people appeared disturbed by rocker Ted Nugent's recent tirades against President Obama and Democrats.
"I can't figure out what people are talking about," Inhofe said on CNN. "He's talking about him, that Ted himself will either be dead or in jail. Now, how does that relate to the president? I have a real hard time putting that together."
Nugent laid into the "vile," "evil" and "America-hating" Obama administration over the weekend at the NRA convention in St. Louis. He proceeded to claim that he would be "dead or in jail by this time next year" if Obama is reelected and encouraged attendees to vote against Democrats and "ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November." On Tuesday, he doubled down in a radio interview, taking direct aim at Democratic leaders.
Inhofe maintained that these remarks were harmless and said that he was the one facing real threats.
"If you want to see how you can be abused, read my book 'The Greatest Hoax' and see what Bobby Kennedy -- you know, he wanted to hang me for treason -- and, so, if you want to see some real threats, you can see that," Inhofe said, apparently referring to Kennedy's recent interview given in the wake of calling Inhofe "big oil's top call girl."
Inhofe was then pushed on the actual words and imagery used by Nugent, which have reportedly prompted a Secret Service investigation, leading him to respond with some degree of confusion.
"Anyone could put an interpretation on like that," the senator said in response to the concern from some that Nugent's remarks may have been a threat to the president. “I just didn't hear that because that's not what he said and it is confusing because it's hard to say, why would he be dead -- and now we're talking about Ted, not the president -- and I didn't quite understand it."