Members of Utah delegation call on Iowa’s Steve King to resign
Jan 15, 2019, 10:16 AM | Updated: 10:17 am
After racist comments from Iowa Rep. Steve King, many in Congress are calling for him to step down
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) are joining with a growing number of Republicans in Congress who are calling on Representative Steve King (R-IA) to step down.
King is under fire after a New York Times interview where he was wondering why terms like “White nationalist, white supremacist, and western civilization” had become offensive.
These comments have led House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to say to The Washington Post, “That is not the party of Lincoln, it is definitely not American. All people are created equal in America, and we want to take a very strong stance about that.”
King has since been stripped from his seats on the House Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees.
Rep. Stewart spoke with Chris Cuomo on CNN saying enough is enough and is calling on King to step down.
“I wish he’d resign, frankly. He can’t do the work, he’s lost the trust and faith of his comrades,” Stewart said. “I think we should hold him accountable for his words, it’s not the first time he’s said something like this. For the good of the party and the good of the country, he should no longer serve in Congress.”
GOP @RepChrisStewart calls on embattled Rep. Steve King to resign from Congress over his racist remarks
“Mr. King, I think, has become ineffective. … It’s not the first time that he has said things that the party just cringes at. … I wish he’d resign” https://t.co/Vl6QVhIcb2 pic.twitter.com/jGcf0uguCG
— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2019
Sen. Romney is also speaking out, saying to CNN, “I think he ought to step aside and that Congress needs to make it very clear that he has no place there.”
He also spoke with reporters calling the comments “reprehensible and ought to lead to his resignation from Congress.”
Sen. Mitt Romney rips Rep. Steve King over “white supremacy” comments: “What he said was reprehensible and ought to lead to his resignation from Congress.”
The House GOP Steering Committee met this evening to remove Rep. King’s committee assignments. https://t.co/1fkKAmfs0m pic.twitter.com/IZy3wKcuNm
— ABC News (@ABC) January 15, 2019
Rep. King has responded saying that his comments were taken out of context and that the decision to remove him from his committee assignments was political and ignores the truth.
The truth, he says, is this: “One of my quotes in a New York Times story has been completely mischaracterized.”
He then described a 56 minute long interview with the publication, concluding, “I will 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.”
My Statement on Kevin McCarthy’s Unprecedented Assault on my Freedom of Speech. pic.twitter.com/0R0vP6MoWT
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 15, 2019
