Paul Ryan and House Republicans Need to Denounce King’s Racist Remarks
Silence will appropriately be seen as complicity
Yesterday, Congressman Steve King managed to break through the convention chaos by sharing a shockingly offensive statement that seemed to bolster white supremacy. On MSNBC, King said:
“This whole white people business, though, does get a little tired. … I’d ask you to go back through history and figure out where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you are talking about. Where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization?”
The New York Times, among others, noted that King has made a name for himself by making divisive and wildly inaccurate claims, and the Huffington Post reported that King “made an argument for white supremacy on live TV.”
King has a long record of racist tendencies, making headlines for keeping a Confederate Battle Flag on his desk, which is a painful symbol of hate and discrimination.
“Speaker Ryan and House Republicans need to denounce Steve King’s outrageous statements immediately,” said DCCC Spokesman Jermaine House. “Their silence in the face of blatant racism serves as further proof that Paul Ryan and House Republicans are perfectly aligned with Donald Trump’s racially insensitive agenda. Congressman King’s comments, followed by total silence from House Republicans, continue to make the Republican Party toxic to people of color.”