House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday said he did not tell Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King he would reinstate him on committees after he was removed from them in 2019 for comments regarding white supremacy.
“Congressman King’s comments cannot be exonerated. I never said that. Committee assignments are decided by the Steering Committee, he’ll have the opportunity to make his case. I think members on the Steering Committee, I think he’d get the same answer that he got before,” McCarthy said at his press conference Friday.
McCarthy’s comments come after King said Monday that “On April 20, Kevin McCarthy and I reached an agreement that he would advocate to the steering committee to put all of my committees back,” at a campaign event in Spencer, Iowa. Which, McCarthy denied Friday.
Congressman Steve King speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa August 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Brian Frank)
King lost his committee seats after Republican Party Leadership met in January 2019 and decided King’s comments were too offensive. He ended up losing his seats on the lost seats on the Agricultural, Judiciary, and the Small Business Committees. (RELATED: Steve King Loses Committee Seats Over Remarks About ‘White Supremacy’)
“Steve’s remarks are beneath the dignity of the Party of Lincoln and the United States of America. His comments call into question whether he will treat all Americans equally, without regard for race and ethnicity. House Republicans are clear: We are all in this together, as fellow citizens equal before God and the law. As Congressman King’s fellow citizens, let us hope and pray earnestly that this action will lead to greater reflection and ultimately change on his part,” McCarthy said in a statement in January. (RELATED: Steve King Wants To Know How ‘White Supremacist’ Became Offensive)
In Friday’s press conference McCarthy also said he would not get involved in King’s reelection efforts.
“I have not taken a position on his race, no,” McCarthy said. “If he wins reelection he has the right to go to the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee would take up the committee assignments just like every Congress, just like every single member.”
