New York Congressman On Bombing Suspect's Capture: 'You Are Welcome Colin Kaepernick'

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) had a strange reaction to the capture of Ahmad Khan Rahami, the 28-year-old suspect wanted in connection with an explosion Saturday night  in New York City. 

The freshman congressman, who represents New York’s 1st Congressional District, addressed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in an apparently sarcastic tweet on Monday. Over the last few weeks, Kaepernick has refused to stand during the national anthem in order to protest racial bias in policing and police brutality.

Zeldin, who was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, somehow drew a connection between the protest an expression of free speech and the bombing in Manhattan. 

Many professional athletes  have joined the San Francisco 49ers quarterback in his protest, which has drawn both praise and criticism from lawmakers in Washington. President Barack Obama , for example, defended Kaepernick’s right to exercise free speech. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), on the other hand, a proponent of criminal justice reform, said he supports the NFL player’s message, but not his method .