House Republicans formally stripped Representative Steve King of all committee assignments on Monday night, days after the Iowa Republican drew criticism for yet another controversial and racially charged comment.
In an interview with the New York Times published last week, King rhetorically said “white nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”
The Iowa Republican has long been a lightning rod within his own party, making controversial comments, particularly on Twitter. King endorsed a white nationalist candidate for Toronto mayor, tweeted in support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders saying “we can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies,” compared immigrants to dirt and used rhetoric common to the alt-right in an interview with a magazine affiliated with the far-right Austrian Freedom party.
King’s conduct drew condemnation from Steve Stivers, the head of the National Republican Campaign Committee, only days before the 2018 midterms. “Congressman Steve King’s recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior,” said the Ohio Republican in a tweet.
However, King still campaigned with top Iowa Republicans on the eve of the election and had not faced the full condemnation of his party until his most recent comments.
In a statement on the decision to strip King of his committee assignments, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, said: “Steve’s remarks are 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 contrast, King insisted his words had been mischaracterized in a statement and said: “Leader McCarthy’s decision to remove me from committees is a political decision that ignores the truth.”
Nick Ryan, a veteran Iowa Republican operative and longtime King critic, told the Guardian of King’s political career, “It’s over. Just a question of how it all formally ends now.”
King still faces the potential for a formal resolution of censure in the House of Representatives. At least two members have introduced such resolutions, including the Democrat Tim Ryan of Ohio, who is joined by the co-sponsors Dave Joyce of Ohio, a Republican, and Dave Loebsack of Iowa, a Democrat.
King drew a primary challenge last week from Randy Feenstra, an ardent social conservative who serves in the Iowa state senate. In a statement, Feenstra said: “One week ago, I announced my candidacy for Congress because our district desperately needs an effective conservative leader to represent our communities in Congress. Sadly, today, the voters and conservative values of our district have lost their seat at the table because of Congressman King’s caustic behavior.”
King joins two other House Republicans, Chris Collins of New York and Duncan Hunter of California, in having no committee assignments. Both are under indictment.