Rep. John Lewis on Monday slammed his colleague, Rep. Steve King, for what he called “bigoted and racist” comments.
This is bigoted & racist. It suggests there is one tradition & one appearance that all humanity should conform to. https://t.co/dC6dIy3rXn
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 13, 2017
In a statement, the civil rights icon said King “has made a deeply disturbing statement because it ignores the truth about the history of the nation.”
The United States was “founded on traditions that emerged from Africa, Iran, China, Greece and Rome and many other nations,” the Georgia congressman said in a statement Monday.
King has been facing backlash after he tweeted Sunday, “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”
The prominent Iowa Republican is often known for his criticism of illegal immigration, and he repeated that on Monday, telling CNN’s Chris Cuomo he “meant exactly what I said.”
“You cannot rebuild your civilization with somebody else’s babies. You’ve got to keep your birth rate up, and that you need to teach your children your values,” King explained. “In doing so, you can grow your population, you can strengthen your culture, and you can strengthen your way of life.”
He added they suggest “there is one cultural tradition and one appearance that all of humanity should conform to. These ideas have given rise to some of the worst atrocities in human history, and they must be condemned.”
