Republican representative from Iowa’s 4th district, Steve King, has been removed from the Judiciary and Agricultural committees by House Republican leaders after appearing to approve of white supremacy. In an interview with the New York Times, King asked, “white nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization – how did that language become offensive?”

This incident comes directly after King retweeted the post of a British neo-Nazi earlier this month. President Trump has said nothing on the issue. Other Republican leaders, however, were quick to denounce King, with Senator Mitt Romney suggesting King resign. This is not the first time King has been in the spotlight for his comments; he was under scrutiny for anti-Latino remarks made back in 2013. King has been a strong supporter of the President’s Mexican border wall and has advocated for stricter immigration policy.

King has not been removed from the GOP House conference, but both Republicans and Democrats have exerted significant pressure on him to step down from his role. AshLee Strong, spokesperson for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, said, “Nazis have no place in our politics, and clearly members should not engage with anyone promoting hate.”

At Hotchkiss, some minority students reported feeling frustrated by racist comments from politicians. Isaias Wooden ‘21 said, “I am not angered by this statement, just disappointed by the lack of empathy displayed in one of our public officials. I feel [that] in order to have a truly unified nation, we need to not just have public policies that act on behalf of our minorities, but a better understanding of how the ‘other’ feels.”