Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, wants to know how it became so controversial to talk about white nationalism and white supremacy.
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King asked the New York Times in an interview published on Thursday. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
The comments from King, who last year almost lost his bid for a ninth term in Congress despite representing a strongly Republican district, immediately attracted criticism. Among his detractors, Rep. Justin Amash, a GOP lawmaker from Michigan.
“This is an embrace of racism, and it has no place in Congress or anywhere,” Amash tweeted.
This is an embrace of racism, and it has no place in Congress or anywhere. https://t.co/jUXsNgckPE
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) January 10, 2019
In the New York Times interview, King reiterated that he was not a racist. He told the newspaper his Twitter account demonstrated how he frequently welcomed constituents of all backgrounds to his Washington office, which once showcased a Confederate flag. But the Iowa Republican said he wanted immigrants to assimilate with “the culture of America.”
In seeking to clarify what he said in the interview, Kingc ondemned the New York Times for suggesting he was an advocate for an “evil and bigoted ideology.”
“It’s true that like the Founding Fathers I am an advocate for Western Civilization’s values, and that I profoundly believe that America is the greatest tangible expression of these ideals the World has ever seen,” he wrote. “Under any fair political definition, I am simply a Nationalist. America’s values are expressed in our founding documents, they are attainable by everyone and we take pride that people of all races, religions, and creeds from around the globe aspire to achieve them. I am dedicated to keeping America this way.”
My statement on the New York Times article. pic.twitter.com/IjBHgZYgRD
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 10, 2019
King’s remarks come after Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters she would not endorse him in his primary challenge in 2020. King served as Reynolds’ campaign co-chairman in 2018.
King faced a backlash ahead of his Nov. 6 re-election for statements he made about race and immigration policy. He declined to delete a retweeted Twitter post about “Satan” George Soros, which critics took as anti-Semitic, especially after last year’s fatal shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa.
King also drew negative attention in August for giving an interview to members of the Austria Freedom Party, a group with ties to white nationalists. He additionally backed Faith Goldy, a mayoral candidate in Toronto, who appeared on a neo-Nazi podcast.
