House Republicans Remove Rep. King of Committee Assignments

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has been stripped of all his committee assignments in light of his recent comments on white supremacy.

King has been in hot water recently for being quoted in The New York Times as saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

According to The Hill, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters on Monday “that King would not receive any committee assignments for the new Congress.”

McCarthy said in a statement that King’s comments were “beneath the dignity of the Party of Lincoln and the United States of America” and that he hopes that the move “will lead to greater reflection and ultimately change on his part.”

https://twitter.com/JoePerticone/status/1084979372069711874

The Republican Jewish Coalition praised the move in a tweet:

Thank you @GOPLeader. This was an important stand for @GOP and American values. https://t.co/Y2cClPsKQf

— RJC (@RJC) January 15, 2019

King responded by denouncing his loss of committee assignments as “a political decision that ignores the truth”:

JUST IN: Rep @SteveKingIA statement after losing his committee assignments –> pic.twitter.com/zDDYi76luE

— Alex Moe (@alexmoeflo) January 15, 2019

On Sunday, McCarthy told CBS’ Face the Nation that action would be taken against King.

King’s removal from the committees comes amidst mounting criticism from his fellow Republican, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said in a statement to The Washington Post on Monday, “I have no tolerance for such positions and those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedom.”

“Rep. King’s statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position,” McConnell continued. “If he doesn’t understand why ‘white supremacy’ is offensive, he should find another line of work.”

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote a letter to McCarthy and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) advocating for King to be censured:

Months ago, I asked Paul Ryan to strip @SteveKingIA of his rank and membership for his offensive comments. After King's latest remarks, I make the same request again to new House leadership; I hope to see more action this time. My letter here: https://t.co/kuPdx3GBUx pic.twitter.com/RJAIbB5fdw

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) January 14, 2019

Reps. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) are spearheading efforts to censure King.