GOP Rep.: ‘Well, I Am A Scientist’ And I Don’t Believe In Climate Change

FILE- In a Sept. 25, 2012 file photo Dan Benishek, a candidate for the U.S. Congressional seat in Michigan's 1st Districtk speaks in Manistee, Mich. Benishek, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Gary McDow... FILE- In a Sept. 25, 2012 file photo Dan Benishek, a candidate for the U.S. Congressional seat in Michigan's 1st Districtk speaks in Manistee, Mich. Benishek, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Gary McDowell. (AP Photo/John L. Russell, File) MORE LESS
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Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI) this week firmly declared that he does not believe man has contributed to climate change.

“The climate may be changing, but I don’t think man is contributing to it,” he said during a Tuesday interview with Michigan TV station ABC 10.

When pressed on what does cause global warming, Benishek said, “it’s just the natural course of things. There is no scientific evidence that shows any of that.”

ABC 10’s news director Greg Peterson then told the congressman that he “could throw some science at you.”

Rather than dodging the challenge with the standard “I’m not a scientist” line used by many of his Republican colleagues, Benishek told Peterson that he has read up on global warming.

“Well, I am a scientist,” Benishek responded. “You know, I believe in peer-reviewed science. But, I don’t see any peer-reviewed science that proves that there is man-made catastrophic climate change.”

Before serving in Congress, Benishek was a general surgeon in Michigan.

H/t ThinkProgress

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