Two Iowa newspapers are urging Republican Rep. Steve King to resign as he faces controversy for comments that have been widely deemed racist.
Iowa’s biggest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, wrote Tuesday that King has lost “the potential to effectively represent his Iowa constituents” after he made the comments in an interview with the New York Times published last week.
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King told the New York Times. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
Although King argues that his comments were misunderstood to mean that he was questioning why “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” are racist phrases, House Republican leaders removed King from his committee assignments Monday as punishment for the remarks. With his removal from the Judiciary and Agriculture committees, the Des Moines Register argued King will be unable to accomplish anything in the next two years.
“He may as well mail a cardboard cutout of himself to Washington for all he’ll be able to accomplish if no one is willing to work with him,” the editorial board wrote.
The Sioux City Journal, the largest paper in King’s district, published a similar editorial Tuesday condemning the “repugnant” comments.
“It’s time for Steve King to go. He should resign his seat in the U.S. House. A new election should be held for voters in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District to choose a replacement,” the paper said. “If he cares deeply about citizens of the 4th, and we believe he does, King should do what is in their best interests and step down from office.”
King was narrowly re-elected to a ninth term in Congress in November, despite a pattern of inflammatory comments about race and diversity. He has said he plans to serve out the remainder of his current term.
[Related: Steve King slams Liz Cheney, Kevin McCarthy over ‘white nationalist’ comment fallout]
