Washington (CNN) The Congressional Black Caucus on Saturday condemned Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and called on King's fellow Republicans to remove him from his committee assignments.

"If Republicans really believe these racist statements have no place in our government, then their party must offer more than shallow temporary statements of condemnation," said CBC Chairwoman Rep. Karen Bass, D-California, in a statement. "Instead, they must actually condemn Mr. King by removing him from his committee assignments so that he can no longer affect policies that impact the very people he has made it clear he disdains."

King, who has been frequently criticized for comments he has made regarding race and immigration, was under fire for comments he made that appeared to defend white nationalism.

"White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" King told The New York Times in a story published Thursday. "Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?"

King has not apologized for his remarks though in a floor speech Friday, he rejected the label that he's a white nationalist and said he regretted "the heartburn that has poured forth upon this Congress and this country and especially in my state and in my congressional district."

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