Rep. Steve King claimed that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is going to allow him to return to his committees after being removed over controversial remarks.
The Iowa Republican was stripped of all of his committee assignments by McCarthy in January 2019. According to a report from the Sioux City Journal, King told voters during a forum on Monday that McCarthy had agreed to allow him to return to his committees and maintain the seniority he had earned prior to his removal.
“On April 20, Kevin McCarthy and I reached an agreement that he would advocate to the steering committee to put all of my committees back, all of my seniority,” he said. “When Congress comes back into session, when the steering committee can [inaudible] together, I have Kevin McCarthy’s word that that will be my time for exoneration.”
King has made several controversial remarks throughout his tenure in Congress. Early last year, he told the New York Times, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive? … Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
Those remarks were the straw that broke House Republicans. McCarthy announced days later that King would be removed from all committees, saying, “We will not be seating Steve King on any committees in the 116th Congress. It was a unanimous decision by steering in light of the comments. These are not the first time we’ve heard these comments.”
A representative for McCarthy, a California congressman, said the minority leader is not making the final decision.
“Congressman King’s past comments cannot be exonerated. Committee assignments are determined by the steering committee, and he will have the opportunity to make his case,” the McCarthy spokesman said.
King, who has been a member of Congress since 2002, faces four challengers in the primary set to take place in Iowa on June 2. Randy Feenstra, a state senator, appears to be King’s most significant rival. Feenstra recently locked down the endorsement of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
