| Dear Katy, Just this week, a conservative magazine caught Iowa Rep. Steve King lying about calling immigrants "dirt" and released the audio to prove it.1 It shows what we already knew: King is an open and unapologetic racist and white supremacist who has no place in Congress. The House of Representatives code of conduct demands members act in a manner that "shall reflect creditably on the House." Retweeting neo-Nazis, spewing their talking points and repeatedly demeaning Latinx immigrants and Muslims does not meet that standard.2 Republican leaders claim to oppose racism while coddling white supremacists like Donald Trump and Steve King and failing to take real action. Now is their chance to prove they oppose white supremacist movements by ejecting neo-Nazi standard bearer Steve King from the House. Paul Ryan must expel racist Steve King from the House. Click here to sign the petition. In recent weeks, some of King's corporate boosters have dropped him. The head of the Republican House campaign committee denounced him and withdrew support. Even the Republican governor of his home state of Iowa questioned whether he represents the values of his district.3 King's fellow House members cannot continue to support a man who:4,5,6,7 - Was just caught on tape calling immigrants "dirt" by a conservative magazine whose editor replied to King's criticism by saying "Our reporting wouldn't focus on your bigotry if you weren't a bigot"
- Repeatedly retweets Nazis and endorsed a far-right Canadian mayoral candidate who once promoted a book calling for the elimination of Jewish people
- Spouted white supremacist talking points about the threat of Muslims and immigrants in an interview with an anti-Semitic publication tied to an Austrian far-right political party founded by a former Nazi officer
- Claimed white people contributed more to civilization than any other group, accused immigrants of "undermining our culture and civilization" and drew praise from KKK leader David Duke for tweeting that "we can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies"
- Paved the way for Trump by proposing a racist birthright citizenship bill, an electrified border fence that would shock immigrants like "livestock" and banning Spanish in federal documents
- Said he would not change slavery or anything about American history, fought to keep slave liberator Harriet Tubman off the $20 bill and cast the only vote against a resolution recognizing that slave labor helped build the Capitol Building
- Said Somali Muslims should not be allowed to work in meatpacking plants in his district, called the obscene torture at Abu Ghraib "hazing" and asked anti-Muslim questions in a congressional hearing that were too offensive to answer
How can Republican leaders go on condoning this? Paul Ryan must expel racist Steve King from the House. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/expel_steve_king?t=7&akid=30655%2E12967895%2EVes3_m Expelling King requires the votes of two-thirds of House members.8 After years of half-hearted statements denouncing King, Republican leaders have the chance to show their true colors. If Republicans won't take a stand on their own, then CREDO members will unite in asking Democrats to try when the new Congress takes over in January. Thank you for speaking out, Heidi Hess, Co-Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - John Bowden, "Conservative magazine posts recording of King using derogatory language against immigrants," The Hill, Nov. 10, 2018.
- Frank Dale, "The case to expel white supremacist Steve King from Congress," ThinkProgress, Nov. 14, 2018.
- William Petroski, "Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds bluntly tells Steve King to decide future amid racism allegations," Des Moines Register, Nov. 13, 2018.
- Bowden, "Conservative magazine posts recording of King using derogatory language against immigrants."
- Dale, "The case to expel white supremacist Steve King from Congress."
- Gabrielle Bruney, "Steve King, Congress's Most Shameless Racist, Has Won Reelection in Iowa," Esquire, Nov. 7, 2018.
- Jane Coaston, "Steve King is a racist, and conservatives don't want to talk about it," Vox, June 28, 2018.
- Dale, "The case to expel white supremacist Steve King from Congress."
Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call |
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