Capitol Police will be guarding Rep. Peter King's hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims Thursday. King himself has been under 24/7 police protection since November because of threats against him abroad, Politico's Jennifer Epstein reports. The New York congressman has had some security for the last 18 months, but the threats have recently intensified.

King says he's expecting protesters to interrupt the hearings. “Obviously protesters will be removed and we’ll continue with the hearing,” he said. But the Republican says he's not quite sure why everyone's so upset: “All kidding aside, it’s hard to figure out – whether the attacks are coming from Kim Kardashian or The New York Times – it seems to be just a hysterical type attack that I’m out to demonize Muslims, that some are saying I want to set up internment camps, that it’s a religious war.”

The controversial hearings can be watched live here.

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Elspeth Reeve