Kevin McCarthy says he will meet with King to discuss his role in the party over his controversial comments about white supremacy

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The top House Republican promised on Sunday to take action against the Iowa congressman Steve King, over his controversial comments about white supremacy and white nationalism.

Congressional Black Caucus wants action against Republican Steve King Read more

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy did not specify what the action would be, but said he would meet King on Monday to discuss his role in the party.

“That language has no place in America,” McCarthy said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “That is not the America I know, and it’s most certainly not the party of Lincoln.”

King, who has a long history of incendiary remarks and associations with white supremacist groups, came under fire over comments he made to the New York Times in a recent interview.

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“White nationalist, white supremacist, western civilization – how did that language become offensive?” he said. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”

The Congressional Black Caucus has called for King to be stripped of his committee assignments.

“Action will be taken,” McCarthy said, adding the two had a meeting scheduled on Monday. “I’m having a serious conversation with congressman Steve King on his future and role in this Republican party.

“I will not stand back as a leader of this party, believing in this nation that all are created equal, that that stands or continues to stand and have any role with us.”

Steve Scalise, the No2 Republican in the House, also condemned King on Sunday.

Senior Republican Steve Scalise spoke at white supremacist meeting in 2002 Read more

“We were very quick to reject those comments” he said on ABC’s This Week. “There is no place for hate, for bigotry, or anybody who supports that ideology. It’s evil ideology. We all ought to stand up against it.”

Scalise, from Louisiana, has experienced his own controversy regarding Republican links to white supremacists. In 2014, it was reported that in 2002 he addressed a conference backed by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

“I didn’t know who all of these groups were and I detest any kind of hate group,” he told the Times-Picayune newspaper then.

Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican senator, joined the chorus of criticism on NBC’s Meet the Press.

“What Steve King said was stupid,” he said. “It was stupid. It was hurtful. It was wrong. And he needs to stop. I think all of us ought to be united, regardless of party, in saying, white supremacism, white nationalism, is hatred. It is bigotry. It is evil. It is wrong.”