Some Republicans are accusing a Democratic Long Island congressman of suggesting bearing arms against the Trump administration.

At the center of the controversy is a remark made by Glen Cove Rep. Tom Suozzi at a March 12 town hall meeting in Huntington.

Someone at the meeting asked, "What happens if the president ignores the checks and balances put in place by the Constitution?"

Suozzi said first, the public would need to apply pressure. But what he said next is what is prompting criticism.

"This is where the Second Amendment comes in quite frankly, because you know, what if the president was to ignore the courts?" Suozzi said. "What would you do? What would we do?"

The Second Amendment is the right to bear arms.

Republicans are now accusing Suozzi of promoting violence against the Trump administration.

An adviser for Rep. Suozzi says the congressman was explaining how the Founding Fathers created the Second Amendment for citizens to fight back against government. 

"To suggest his comments meant anything else, or that he was advocating for an armed insurrection against the existing president, is both irresponsible and ridiculous," she says.