Following Rep. Steve King’s controversial comments to The New York Times on white supremacy and white nationalism, House GOP leaders voted unanimously Monday to strip him of his committee assignments.
King, who will lose his seat on the Judiciary, Agriculture, and Small Business committees, issued a response to the decision on Twitter. Accusing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of an “unprecedented assault” on his freedom of speech, King claimed that one of his quotes in The New York Times article was “completely mischaracterized.”
My Statement on Kevin McCarthy’s Unprecedented Assault on my Freedom of Speech. Pic.twitter.com/0R0vP6MoWT
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 15, 2019
King went on to argue that he has denounced “evil ideology” such as Nazism, Fascism, and white supremacy, and only sought to question how the term ‘western civilization’ became offensive, adding, “my record as a vocal advocate for Western Civilization is nearly as full as my record in defense of Freedom of Speech.”
Alluding to an unwillingness to resign, King concluded, writing, “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.”
House Democrats, meanwhile, have introduced at least three efforts to formally denounce King, including censure resolutions and at least one planned “resolution of disapproval.” One of the censure resolutions is expected to be voted on during Tuesday’s session.