Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of House GOP leadership, renewed her calls for fellow Republican Rep. Steve King’s resignation Wednesday after he made headlines for his comments on rape and incest.

Mr. King of Iowa said — while speaking to the Westside Conservative Club Wednesday — that he opposes providing abortions in cases of rape and incest because it’s likely everyone’s lineage includes rape somewhere along the line.

“What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that? Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can’t say that I was not a part of a product of that,” he said.

Ms. Cheney of Wyoming called Mr. King’s comments “bizarre” and added he needs to resign.

“Today’s comments by @RepSteveKingIA are appalling and bizarre. As I’ve said before, it’s time for him to go. The people of Iowa’s 4th congressional district deserve better,” she said, tagging the wrong Twitter account.

Ms. Cheney — who is the third highest-ranking Republican in the House — is referring to her calls for his resignation in January after he equated “white nationalism” and “western civilization” in a January newspaper interview.

While he didn’t resign, Republicans stripped him from all of his House committee assignments.

Minority Whip and the second highest-ranking House Republican Steve Scalise said Mr. King’s most recent comments validate the action Republicans took then.

“These comments are wrong and offensive and underscore why we removed him from his committees,” he said in a statement to The Washington Times.

J.D. Scholten, Mr. King’s Democratic challenger, said his remarks showcased a “selfish, hateful ideology.”

“Excusing violence — in any way — is entirely unacceptable. Here in Iowa, we stand strong together in the face of violence, and strive to create a welcoming and safe community for all people. His comments are disrespectful to survivors and don’t reflect Iowan values,” Mr. Scholten said in a statement.

Mr. King has also received backlash over the last few months for saying not “every culture is equal” in May, saying in March that FEMA prefers helping Iowa because they “take care of each other” unlike New Orleans and dodging a question in March about whether he felt “a white society was superior to nonwhite society.”

He said the widespread criticism he’s received has made him realize what Jesus Christ “went through for us,” insinuating he’s been persecuted.

• Gabriella Muñoz contributed to this report.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.