Steve King Gives House Floor Speech on White Supremacy Comments: It’s ‘Unnecessary Controversy’

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) gave a speech before Congress on Friday in an effort to defend himself from the outrage over remarks about white supremacy.

King’s fellow conservatives have blasted him for his comments published by The New York Times in which he questioned how and why terms like “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” became offensive.

When he acknowledged the “heartburn” on the House floor, King expressed “regret” as he said he “made a freshman mistake a week ago today” when he spoke to the Times.

“One phrase in that long article has created an unnecessary controversy,” King said. “That was my mistake.”

King continued by citing his written response to the controversy while also lamenting “leftist talking points” that unjustly label people as racist. As he addressed “the heartburn that seems to be churning across the media,” King once again identified himself as an “American nationalist” and an advocate for Western values.

“As I told The New York Times, it’s not about race, it’s never been about race,” King said. “I regret the heartburn that’s poured forth upon this Congress and this country and especially in my state and congressional district.”

Watch above, via C-SPAN.

— —

>> Follow Ken Meyer (@KenMeyer91) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!