The Congressional Black Caucus has called for Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) to face consequences for his continued racist remarks and support of white supremacy.
The Caucus called on fellow lawmakers to take more action on admonishing King for his actions. The CBC’s char Karen Bass (D-Calif.), released a statement Saturday where the Caucus called for House Republicans to remove King from further committee assignments after he defended white supremacy in a The New York Times interview published Thursday.
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King said. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
Since making the controversial statement, King has received backlash from his fellow conservatives including Ben Shapiro and outlets like The National Review.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) called King’s comments “abhorrent and racist” and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called the comments “offensive.”
Despite the criticism, little action has been done in response to his comments. King previously compared immigrants to dogs, endorsed a neo-Nazi candidate and has openly flirted with fascism, HuffPost reports. Bass went on to liken King to Donald Trump before asking for him to be further condemned.
“Like Donald Trump, Steve King has sought again and again to give comfort to white supremacists, something that should never be allowed in the halls of Congress or the Oval Office” Bass said in the statement.
She continued:
If Republicans really believe these racist statements have no place in our government, then their party must offer more than shallow temporary statements of condemnation. Instead, they must actually condemn Mr. King by removing him from his committee assignments so that he can no longer affect policies that impact the very people he has made clear he disdains. Republicans should make clear Mr. King is no longer welcomed in their party or Congress. Anything less than these substantive actions is another tacit acceptance of racism from the Republican Party.
Press play below for more on this story.