After many Republicans condemned Representative Steve King for racially insensitive comments, the lawmaker is being punished by the House GOP.
King was a part of the House Judiciary and Agriculture Committees, but according to sources and journalists familiar with the situation, the House Steering Committee took measures against him after he questioned why the phrase “white supremacy” is so bad.
NEW: Iowa GOP Rep @SteveKingIA has been removed from all committee assignments by GOP Steering Committee per member on committee. He will be on Republican without committees assignment.
— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) January 15, 2019
As IJR previously reported, King originally came under fire for comments he made during an interview with the New York Times.
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King said.
Many Republican leaders spoke out against the comments and called for King to step down.
“There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
NEW: @senatemajldr MITCH McCONNELL unloads on @SteveKingIA, becoming most powerful Republican to denounce him for racial comments.
"There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind.”https://t.co/vN5U3LocVb— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) January 14, 2019
Senator Tim Scott also called for action in an op-ed, saying that criticism without action would not be acceptable.
“When people with opinions similar to King’s open their mouths, they damage not only the Republican Party and the conservative brand but also our nation as a whole,” Scott wrote. “Some in our party wonder why Republicans are constantly accused of racism — it is because of our silence when things like this are said.”
However, King denied the allegations of racism and claimed that he was only referring to Western culture.
“Leader McCarthy’s decision to remove me from committees is a political decision that ignores the truth,” King said in a statement.
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