NYC mayor: Probing finances of proposed Islamic center, mosque would set 'terrible precedent'

NEW YORK – New York's mayor says an investigation by the state attorney general into the finances of a proposed Islamic center and mosque near ground zero would set "a terrible precedent."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there's no reason for the government to investigate donations to religious organizations.

Congressman Peter King disagrees. The ranking minority leader of the Homeland Security Committee says "a number" of terrorist plots have "emanated from mosques." He cites the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center as an example.

The mayor made the remarks Tuesday after he was asked about a Quinnipiac University poll showing a majority of New Yorkers want the attorney general to investigate funding sources.