WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa (all times local):
7:20 p.m.
The House has approved a Democratic measure disapproving of Republican Rep. Steve King’s comments about white supremacy.
The nine-term Iowa congressman was among those supporting the measure, which was approved, 424-1.
King says he agrees with South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the resolution’s sponsor, that white supremacy is an evil that cannot be ignored. King’s racist comments have been widely condemned by members of both parties in recent days.
King says the ideology of white supremacy “never shows up in my head” and that he does “not know how it could possibly come out of my mouth.”
Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois opposed the measure, saying the House should take the more serious step of censuring King for his “repugnant and racist behavior.”
Last week, King said in an interview, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization - how did that language become offensive?”
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6:45 p.m.
Iowa’s largest newspaper is calling for U.S. Rep. Steve King to resign, saying his comments about white nationalism and white supremacy are “abhorrent” and leave him unable to represent his district.
The Des Moines Register, in an editorial posted on its website Tuesday, says House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s decision to strip King of his committee assignments leaves the state without representation on the vital House Agriculture Committee.
The editorial argued that while King has made statements for years that “made Iowa a laughing stock on the national stage,” his most recent comments in The New York Times should be “career-ending.”
The Register urged Iowa’s Republican senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds and others to urge King to quit “for the good of the Republican Party and, more importantly, for the good of Iowa.”
King supported a Democratic measure Tuesday that disapproved of his comments about white supremacy.
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2:40 p.m.
Republican Rep. Steve King says he will vote in favor of a Democratic measure disapproving of his comments about white supremacy to The New York Times.
The nine-term Iowa congressman says he agrees with Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the resolution’s sponsor, that white supremacy is an evil that cannot be ignored. His racist comments have been widely condemned by members of both parties in recent days.
King says the ideology of white supremacy “never shows up in my head” and that he does “not know how it could possibly come out of my mouth.”
Last week, King said in an interview that “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization - how did that language become offensive?”
He added, “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
On the House floor Tuesday, King said he was advocating for Western civilization, not racism, in the Times interview. King says he rejects the ideology of white supremacy, adding that he deeply believes that “all men and now all women are created equal. It’s in my heart and soul and it’s in my works.”
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11:15 a.m.
The No. 3 House Republican is suggesting that Rep. Steve King leave Congress over his remarks about white supremacy.
Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney on Tuesday said of King, “I think he should find another line of work.”
Republican leaders have made serving in Congress uncomfortable for King over his remarks in the New York Times last week questioning how white supremacy and white nationalism became offensive terms. House and Senate leaders condemned the remarks, and GOP leaders moved this week to deny him any committee assignments.
Republican leaders noted that King has for years made racially insensitive remarks. Cheney said the most recent ones are “absolutely abhorrent. It’s racist. We do not support it or agree with it.”
The nine-term Iowa congressman says he’s advocating for Western civilization, not racism.
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8:30 a.m.
Veteran Republican Rep. Steve King will be blocked from committee assignments for the next two years after lamenting that white supremacy and white nationalism have become offensive terms.
King, in his ninth term representing Iowa, will not be given committee assignments in the new Congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday night. King served on the Agriculture, Small Business and Judiciary committees in the last Congress, and he chaired Judiciary’s subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
McCarthy called King’s remarks “beneath the dignity of the Party of Lincoln and the United States of America.”
King called McCarthy’s decision to remove him from committees “a political decision that ignores the truth.” He vowed to “continue to point out the truth and work with all the vigor that I have to represent 4th District Iowans for at least the next two years.”
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