Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) has been removed from two of his Congressional committee assignments amid backlash over his recent comments on white nationalism, The New York Times reports. After a brief meeting Monday night, the House Republican Steering Committee reportedly removed King from his positions on the Judiciary and Agriculture Committees. In a statement late Monday, he blasted his ouster from the committees as “a political decision that ignores the truth,” and claimed his comments were “completely mischaracterized.” In his own statement, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said King's remarks “call into question whether he will treat all Americans equally, without regard for race and ethnicity.” Earlier Monday, McCarthy held a private meeting with King after House Democrats publicly vowed to formally reprimand him after he asked how the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” had “become offensive” in an interview with the Times. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also condemned Rep. King's comments, saying the remarks had “no place in the Republican Party.”