Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a sharp rebuke of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, on Monday, strongly suggesting he should consider looking for work outside of Congress after backlash over past statements on white supremacy and white nationalism reached critical mass.

"There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress, or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind. I have no tolerance for such positions and those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms. Rep. King’s statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position. If he doesn’t understand why ‘white supremacy’ is offensive, he should find another line of work," McConnell said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.

"I commend Sens. Grassley, Ernst, Scott and others for their leading voices in the Senate, and Leader McCarthy for his strong stand on this matter in the House," McConnell said.

King, a nine-term GOP congressman, faces mounting pressure over an interview he gave the New York Times last week. In the interview, King questioned how the comments on white nationalism became so "offensive."

“Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?” he asked.

The criticism that followed was bipartisan, including from prominent Republican figures, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. McCarthy told CBS News on Sunday he was meeting with King Monday to "take action" over his remarks.

"That language has no place in America. That is not the America I know, and it's most definitely not the party of Lincoln," McCarthy said, suggesting King would be stripped of his committee assignments. "I am having a serious conversation with Congressman Steve King on his future and role in this Republican Party."

As part of a damage control effort, King knocked the Times for suggesting he supported an "evil and bigoted ideology" and on Friday delivered a floor speech defending his record on race and immigration. He also said on Friday that he didn’t expect blowback from Republican leaders in Washington or Iowa after he claimed to have initiated a conversation with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., to discuss the matter and update leadership on how he planned to handle the controversy.

McConnell's tough rhetoric additionally comes as two House Democrats, Reps. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, push for King to be officially censured by Congress. The Congressional Black Caucus demanded that King be removed from his committee assignments, which include him being the top Republican in a Judiciary subcommittee.

Meanwhile President Trump has kept silent on the controversy. "I don't — I haven't been following it. I really haven't been following it," he said Monday when asked by reporters at the White House.

King has a history of contentious behavior. Shortly before his narrow 2018 re-election win, he refused to delete a retweeted Twitter post about "Satan" George Soros, which critics claimed was anti-Semitic. He already has a challenger for his 2020 Republican primary, and GOP Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds told a local outlet last week she wouldn't endorse him next cycle.

Susan Ferrechio contributed to this report.