House passes resolution condemning white nationalism

The House overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Tuesday condemning white nationalism and white supremacy in the wake of public remarks by Rep. Steve KingSteven (Steve) Arnold KingFeenstra wins Iowa House race to fill Steve King's seat Democrats lead in 3 of 4 Iowa House races: poll Hillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones MORE (R-Iowa) questioning why the terms are considered offensive.

The resolution, approved in a 424-1 vote, doesn’t directly rebuke King.

Instead, the text states that the House “once again rejects White nationalism and White supremacy as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”

Some Democrats want to go much further and argued the measure offered by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was too soft. Reps. Tim RyanTimothy (Tim) RyanHouse Democrats introduce bill to invest 0 billion in STEM research and education Now's the time to make 'Social Emotional Learning' a national priority Mourners gather outside Supreme Court after passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg MORE (D-Ohio) and Bobby RushBobby Lee RushHillicon Valley: Judge's ruling creates fresh hurdle for TikTok | House passes bills to secure energy sector against cyberattacks | Biden campaign urges Facebook to remove Trump posts spreading 'falsehoods' House passes bills to secure energy sector against cyberattacks Congress should investigate OAS actions in Bolivia MORE (D-Ill.) have both introduced resolutions to censure King for his remarks.

Rush voted against Clyburn’s resolution, which was tailored to draw bipartisan support. In a statement, Rush said that “while I strongly condemn white supremacy and white nationalism, my position remains unchanged. Anything short of censure is shallow.”

Clyburn told reporters after the vote that he opted for a resolution that didn't go as far to accommodate some lawmakers who weren't comfortable with censuring King.

King voted in favor of the resolution, saying, "I agree with the language in it."

A growing number of Republicans are calling for King to resign, including Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyBiden flips key Nebraska district Ex-RNC officials won't back Trump On The Trail: Making sense of Super Poll Sunday MORE (Utah), Rep. Chris StewartChristopher (Chris) Douglas StewartAtlanta Wendy's 911 call the night of Rayshard Brooks's death released Tyler Perry offers to pay for funeral of Rayshard Brooks Current, former NHL players form diversity coalition to fight intolerance in hockey MORE (Utah) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz CheneyElizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - 24 hours to go House Republicans slated to hold leadership election on Nov. 17 McCarthy faces pushback from anxious Republicans over interview comments MORE (Wyo.).

Cheney said at a press conference earlier Tuesday that “I think he should find another line of work,” echoing a statement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellOn The Money: Wall Street adjusts to election uncertainty, lack of blue wave | McConnell says he wants COVID deal by end of year | Jobs growth slowed to 365,000 in October: ADP Overnight Health Care: COVID versus the economy | Second-highest number of new coronavirus cases reported on Election Day Winners and losers from 2020's election MORE (R-Ky.) a day earlier.

The third-ranking House Republican went further than House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyChamber-endorsed Dems struggle on election night House GOP celebrates unexpected gains QAnon proponent Marjorie Taylor Greene wins Georgia House race MORE (R-Calif.), who said it’s up to King’s constituents to keep him in the House.

King, who has a long history of courting controversy on race, has maintained that his comments to The New York Times were taken out of context.

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?” King said in the interview published last week.

The vote came a day after House GOP leaders announced they would not assign King to any committees for the new Congress. King had served on the Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees. He had even served as a chairman of a Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice and could have served as its ranking member under the Democratic majority.

King has denied that he supports white nationalism or supremacy.

“Leader McCarthy’s decision to remove me from committees is a political decision that ignores the truth,” he said in a statement Monday.

GOP leaders previously haven’t punished King for making controversial remarks.

King in 2013 said in an interview with Newsmax that for every undocumented immigrant who becomes a valedictorian, “there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” Then-Speaker John BoehnerJohn Andrew BoehnerDemocrats seek wave to bolster House majority Bottom line Pelosi and Trump go a full year without speaking MORE (R-Ohio) called King's comments “deeply offensive and wrong.”

In 2017, King created another firestorm when he said that “we can’t rebuild our civilization with somebody else’s babies” while tweeting in support of an anti-Muslim nationalist Dutch politician.

Then-Speaker Paul RyanPaul Davis RyanMcCarthy faces pushback from anxious Republicans over interview comments Pelosi and Trump go a full year without speaking Jordan vows to back McCarthy as leader even if House loses more GOP seats MORE (R-Wis.) told Fox News at the time that “I disagree with that statement.”

But no action was taken against King, who claimed to The Hill following pushback from a handful of fellow GOP lawmakers that “my colleagues have generally been coming by and patting me on the back.”

King also drew condemnation last year from the then-chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Steve StiversSteven (Steve) Ernst StiversGOP lawmakers distance themselves from Trump comments on transfer of power Business groups back pandemic insurance bill modeled on post-9/11 law National Retail Federation hosts virtual 'store tours' for lawmakers amid coronavirus MORE (R-Ohio), after supporting a white nationalist candidate for Toronto mayor and telling an Austrian publication, “What does this diversity bring that we don’t already have?”

President TrumpDonald John TrumpAides tried to get Trump to stop attacking McCain in hopes of clinching Arizona: report Officials warn delayed vote count could lead to flood of disinformation New Trump campaign lawsuit targets late-arriving Georgia mail ballots MORE has not criticized King’s more recent remarks, and told reporters on Monday that he hadn’t been closely following the issue.

-Updated 4:44 p.m.