Robin Opsahl | Des Moines Register

Kelsey Kremer, kkremer@dmreg.com

U.S. Rep. Steve King told the Westside Conservative Club on Wednesday that humanity might not exist if not for rape and incest.

"What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" he said at the event in Urbandale, Iowa.

"Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages taken place and whatever happened to culture after society? I know I can't certify that I'm not a part of a product of that."

► Get Iowa politics news in your inbox: Subscribe to our free politics newsletter.

The Kiron Republican was defending his position of not allowing exceptions for rape and incest in the anti-abortion legislation he tried to pass in Congress. Republican leadership had prevented the bills he sponsored on banning abortions from advancing through the House, despite GOP support for the measures, King said.

Just because a conception happened in bad circumstances doesn't mean the result isn't a person, argued King, who is Catholic. Other members of Congress who co-sponsored the legislation agreed with him, he said.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

"I’ve got 174 people who say they don’t want exceptions for rape and incest because they understand it is not the baby’s fault, to abort the baby, because of the sin of the father, and maybe sometimes the sin of the mother too," he said. "And so I refused to do that."

View | 11 Photos

Photos: Steve King meets with Westside Conservative Club

In the hours after his remarks to the breakfast meeting, condemnation of his comments poured in from Democrats, including those running for president, as well as some Republicans.

In addition to his views on abortion, King discussed immigration, guns and more at the breakfast meeting of about 50 people at the Machine Shed restaurant.

He talked about the criticism he faced over a New York Times quote about white nationalism and white supremacy in January. He said he was told by political insiders that there was a plot to take him out of power.

He cited state Sen. Randy Feenstra's Jan. 9 campaign announcement, a day before the Times quoted King as saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

"People think it was an organic media feeding frenzy, but no, it was orchestrated from the beginning," he said Wednesday. "They had told me, 'Heads up before Christmas: They're going to try to drive you out of office and get you to resign.' Within 24 hours, you had people saying, 'Resign, resign, resign.' Why? Because the New York Times misquoted me?"

King said there was a plan for President Donald Trump to criticize him, as well, but he met with Trump and said there's "no signal from Donald Trump that he's anything other than supportive of me."

Kelsey Kremer, kkremer@dmreg.com

That didn't stop other members of his party from coming after him, he said. Several high-level Republicans decried King's comments in January, and others have publicly supported Feenstra's primary bid.

King was also removed from his House committee assignments by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Later in January, the House passed a condemnation of white supremacy and white nationalism.

While he does not support the "odious ideology" of white nationalism, King said he supports his defense of the West, calling the United States, "the flagship for Western civilization."

Some Westside Conservative Club members, like Rick Herron, a 72-year-old Clive resident, said they liked what King had to say. Herron said he has been a supporter of King's policies in the past, but was glad to get the chance to hear the "white nationalism" controversy story from his perspective.

"I did get a little better understanding of what he went through, in terms of the 'Never Trumpers' attack on him and setting him up for condemnation," Herron said. "You expect the Democrats to attack him, but not the Never Trumpers — members of his own party."

Robin Opsahl covers political trends for the Register. Reach them at ropsahl@registermedia.com or 515-284-8051.​​​​​​​