Another GOP lawmaker calls on Steve King to resign over white supremacy comments

By Justin Wise - 01/14/19 10:41 PM EST
 

Rep. Chris StewartChristopher (Chris) Douglas StewartHouse gears up for Mueller testimony House Intel Republican: 'Foolish' not to take info on opponent from foreign ally 58 GOP lawmakers vote against disaster aid bill MORE (R-Utah) on Monday called on fellow GOP Rep. Steve KingSteven (Steve) Arnold KingYoung Turks reporter tricks Steve King into tweeting about 'A Few Good Men' villain Holocaust survivor who offered to tour Auschwitz with Ocasio-Cortez calls for her to 'be removed from Congress' Liz Cheney hits back at Ocasio-Cortez over concentration camp comments: 'This isn't model Congress' MORE (R-Iowa) to resign over recent comments he made about white supremacy and white nationalism. 

"I wish he’d resign, frankly," Stewart said on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time." "He’s lost the trust and faith of his comrades. For the good of the party, for the good of the American people, I think it’s time for us to make a change."

His comments came just hours after GOP leaders in Congress stripped the Iowa congressman from any committee assignments in the new Congress.

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Stewart said that he "absolutely" agreed with the decision, adding that "without committee assignments ... [King] can’t do work in Congress."

"It’s not the first time that he’s said things that the party just cringes at and says 'what in the world,' " Stewart said, acknowledging that the GOP could have addressed King's past controversial comments.

King last week prompted outrage from Democratic and Republican lawmakers after he questioned why terms such as "white nationalist" and "white supremacist" were offensive in an interview with The New York Times. 

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King, who has served in Congress since 2003, asked. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
 
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyThe Hill's Morning Report: Trump walks back from 'send her back' chants History in the House: Congress weathers unprecedented week EU official in Canada says he feels 'at home' there because no one was shouting 'send him back' MORE (R-Calif.) vowed to take action over the remarks on Sunday. He announced a day later that King would not serve on any committees in the new Congress.
 
King had been a member of the House Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees. He had also served as chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice in the last Congress. 
 
Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyGOP rattled by Trump rally Romney: 'Send her back' chants 'offensive,' 'unfortunate' for GOP Trump's no racist — he's an equal opportunity offender MORE (R-Utah) was the first Republican in Congress to call for King to resign on Monday, telling reporters that "Congress ought to make it very clear he has no place there."
 
King has defended himself amid the backlash, saying he is not a white supremacist or white nationalist and was not suggesting either were acceptable in the interview. He said in a statement Monday that the GOP's decision to strip him of committee assignments was a "political decision that ignores the truth."
Tags Kevin McCarthy Chris Stewart Mitt Romney Steve King