King to vote for resolution rejecting white supremacy

Embattled Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said Tuesday that he would vote in favor of a resolution to condemn white supremacy in the aftermath of GOP leaders moving to strip him of any committee assignments.

The House is slated to vote later Tuesday afternoon on a resolution from Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), that’s meant to be a response to King but doesn’t rebuke him directly.

{mosads}The resolution states that the House “once again rejects White nationalism and White supremacy as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”

Clyburn tailored the resolution, which does not directly rebuke or criticize King, as such to draw bipartisan support.

The resolution does make a reference to King’s controversial comments, in which he told The New York Times: “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?”

King said during House floor debate that he would support the resolution to show he rejects white supremacy.

At least one House Democrat has said the resolution doesn’t go far enough. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of two Democrats who introduced a censure resolution against King on Monday, said he will vote against it.

“While I strongly condemn white supremacy and white nationalism, my position remains unchanged. Anything short of censure is shallow,” Rush, another senior CBC member, said in a statement.

House GOP leaders moved Monday night to prevent King from receiving any committee assignments for the new Congress. King called it a “political decision that ignores the truth.”