Rep. Peter King Questions Imus’s Taste In Racy Novels, And The Need For 9/11 Trials In New York

Rep. Peter King understood why Imus, a New Yorker for 35 years, had no idea what part of Long Island King represented. "Half that time you were bombed," the Congressman pointed out, much to the I-Man's delight.

King, a Republican, said he is totally opposed to trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his homeboys in New York City, mere blocks from where the 9/11 attacks happened.

"Guantanamo should be kept open, and they should be tried before military tribunals," said King, point-blank. "There's the obvious security issue in New York, but more than that, we're giving constitutional rights to terrorists."

He is further concerned that the trial will become a spectacle, and that President Obama is settling into a pre-9/11 mentality. King brushed off Imus's suggestion that holding the trial in New York City demonstrates courage to the rest of the world.

"If you are an ordinary criminal, you get tried in a civilian court," King said. "But if it's an act of war you should be tried before a military tribunal, where you don't have the presumption of innocence, where the judge has more discretion deciding what evidence is going to come in."

King, who chairs the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, pointed out that much of the evidence against Mohammed and others was obtained from overseas informants and intelligence during interrogations where nobody received any rights.

"It creates a lot of complication and delay at tremendous cost and danger," King added.

Imus reiterated the point Sen. Bob Kerrey made earlier this morning that airing this trial in New York City would put a stop to conspiracy theorists. But all King saw was an opportunity to make fun of the I-Man.

"Kerrey basically water-boarded you," he told Imus. "He turned you around and got you to switch your policy in about five minutes."

As for why he was being so mean to a cancer patient, King said he was merely advocating for his constituent — Bernard — who Imus has harmed over the years.

"Were it not for me, he'd still be out there in your district pan-handling by the side of the road," Imus said of Bernard.

King insisted that during the course of a civilian trial, the defendants, while not American citizens, would be afforded the same rights as any American. He was unable, however, to recall whether such a right was constitutionally protected, and thus endured ridicule from Imus, who didn't know either.

Barring any massive outcry of public opinion, Attorney General Eric Holder will proceed with the trial as planned. Should Mohammed and his merry men be acquitted, King said Obama would detain them anyway. "The President has been bending over backwards to appeal to international opinion," he added. "International opinion has never done much for us over the years."

The author of three poorly-received but allegedly well-written novels, King has never included sex scenes, unlike his colleague in the Senate, Jim Webb.

"I've heard you talking about it before," he told Imus. "It really seems to have excited you."

-Julie Kanfer