Republicans Kick Rep. Steve King Off Committees After White Supremacist Controversy
“We will not tolerate this type of language in the Republican Party … or in the Democratic Party as well.”
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is no stranger to racial controversy and it’s nice to see the Republican party finally doing something about it. The Republicans have booted King from committees after he told The New York Times, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” From Fox News:
“We will not tolerate this type of language in the Republican Party … or in the Democratic Party as well,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters. “I watched what Steve King said and we took action.”
In a formal statement, McCarthy said King’s comments were “beneath the dignity of the Party of Lincoln and the United States of America. His comments call into question whether he will treat all Americans equally, without regard for race and ethnicity. House Republicans are clear: We are all in this together, as fellow citizens equal before God and the law. As Congressman King’s fellow citizens, let us hope and pray earnestly that this action will lead to greater reflection and ultimately change on his part.”
In a statement of his own, King insisted that his comments had been “completely mischaracterized” and blasted McCarthy for what King called “a political decision that ignores the truth.” According to his website, King was previously a member of House committees on the judiciary, agriculture and small business.
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) agreed:
Senate Republicans also expressed their disgust with King, with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying that if King “doesn’t understand why ‘white supremacy’ is offensive, he should find another line of work.”
“There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind,” McConnell said. “I have no tolerance for such positions and those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms. Rep. King’s statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position.”
Like I said, this is not the first time King has shown sympathy for white supremacists:
In November, King drew a strong rebuke from the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee after making a string of comments and retweets relating to white nationalists and supremacists.
King had publicly endorsed a white nationalist candidate for mayor in Toronto. The candidate, Faith Goldy, has promoted books espousing anti-Semitic ideas and defending the white supremacist “14 words” slogan, according to the Toronto Star.
King also has drawn criticism for posts on Twitter, such as in 2017 when he wrote that “culture and demographics are our destiny” and said we “can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”
And in September, King came under renewed scrutiny after traveling to Austria and giving an interview in which he said, “If we don’t defend Western Civilization, then we will become subjugated by the people who are the enemies of faith, the enemies of justice.”
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Even if getting rid of King is a good goal, isn’t it properly the job of the voters? Why is it okay to dump King because he tweeted incorrect thoughts but not okay to do the same to Trump?
No, it is not the voters’ job. The voters decide whether he is in Congress; they put him there and he will remain there until at least Jan 3, 2021. But it’s the GOP leadership that decides whether he’s on committees, and after this he shouldn’t be. And now that his vote isn’t needed, he shouldn’t be in the GOP caucus either; they should expel him and then demand the Ds do the same to their racists (which of course they won’t do, which will give the GOP a talking point).
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” Mr. King said. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
It just flabbergasts me that no one has called the NYT out for quoting just that short snippet. Where is the full transcript? Where is the recording so we can verify whether the NYT’s punctuation is accurate?
Surely anyone who looks closely can see that the quote is ambiguous—King could just as easily have been asking how the modern left treats “western civilization” like it treats “white supremacy.”
If you say so, but I don’t recall him ever saying anything like this before. The examples you cite don’t convince me. I agree that this time what he said was inexcusable and he had to go, and I’ll even stipulate that this shows that he’s always harbored these thoughts and was just too careful to say them out loud, but the GOP can’t be expected to read minds, and shouldn’t fly off the handle on mere suspicion.
Pat Buchanan also kept his antisemitism under careful wraps for years. Everyone suspected him of it, especially once Bay let hers fly free, but until he provided actual evidence I used to defend him, saying that although he might very well be an antisemite in his heart, there was no solid evidence of it.
Just let’s be clear about one thing: white supremacy and white nationalism are offensive — not just the language but the concepts themselves. But Western civilization is not offensive to any rational person, and defending it is not something anyone should be ashamed of. God made people of all races equal — but He did not make all cultures or civilizations equal. Some cultures are definitely superior to others and there’s nothing wrong with saying so, and our Western culture and civilization are among the best humanity has ever produced, and we should be proud of that.