Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel coupled praise of House Republicans for voting to remove Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, from his committee assignments Monday with a call for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take action against Democrats who have met with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
In a tweet, McDaniel said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., “made the right decision” to strip King of his committee assignments in response to allegations that he showed support for white supremacy.
“There’s no place for white supremacy in our country & it’s totally inconsistent with the Republican Party,” McDaniel tweeted. “I hope Nancy Pelosi also takes action against all the Democrats who continue to associate with prominent anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.”
.@GOPLeader made the right decision. There’s no place for white supremacy in our country & it’s totally inconsistent with the Republican Party.
I hope Nancy Pelosi also takes action against all the Democrats who continue to associate with prominent anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) January 15, 2019
King has been the subject of controversy after an interview with the New York Times, where King was quoted as saying: “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?”
While critics contended that King was questioning when the terms had become offensive, King defended himself on Monday with a statement that said he was only referring to Western civilization and not “any previously stated evil ideology.”
“Clearly, I was only referencing Western Civilization classes. No one ever sat in a class listening to the merits of of white nationalism and white supremacy,” King said.
A number of Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and current lawmakers, have faced controversy for their interactions with Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam group who has made controversial comments over the years. For instance, last year for a Saviours’ Day 2018 address, he said “the powerful Jews are my enemy” and “white folks are going down.”
