A US CONGRESSMAN who acted as a go-between for Bill Clinton and Gerry Adams during the peace process will not seek re-election in 2020.
New York congressman Peter King said in a Facebook post he wanted "flexibility to spend more time" with his children and grandchildren.
The 75-year-old Republican has spent 28 years in Congress. He is known for his hard-line stance on immigration and crime.
A proud Irish-American, he was closely linked to Irish republican fundraising group Noraid in the 1980s.
In 2011, King likened the IRA to the African National Congress and the Zionist Irgun in Israel.
"The fact is, the IRA never attacked the United States. And my loyalty is to the United States," he said.
He described the Troubles as “a dirty war on both sides” .
In the 1990s, he played a key role in peace talks which led to the Good Friday agreement, acting as a go-between for President Clinton and then Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams.
In 2009, it was reported that then President Barack Obama offered Mr King the chance to be US ambassador to the Republic but the congressman declined.
