February 6, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 23 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CLARIFYING REMARKS ON H. RES. 41

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE KING

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2019

  Mr. KING of Iowa. Madam Speaker, on January 15, 2019, the House of 
Representatives considered H. Res. 41, a resolution rejecting white 
nationalism and white supremacy as hateful expressions of intolerance 
that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the 
United States. I voted for the resolution because it cited accurately 
the misquote of my words by The New York Times and because I 
wholeheartedly agree with the rejection of white nationalism and white 
supremacy.
  I write today to emphatically correct the quote once again to align 
with what I actually stated to The New York Times reporter and on the 
floor of the House of Representatives. As I stated on the House floor, 
what I actually said was `` `White nationalist, white supremacist--
(there is a dash here as a pause) Western civilization, how did that 
language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about 
the merits of our history and civilization'--that is the end of the 
quote--just to watch `Western civilization' become a derogatory term in 
political discourse today?''
  According to my actual words, the question ``how did that language 
become offensive?'' clearly referred only to the term ``Western 
Civilization''. I was not asking how the terms white nationalist and 
white supremacist have become offensive. If there is any doubt as to 
the accuracy of this accounting, I would direct you to the CSPAN video 
of my floor remarks from that day, January 15, 2019.
  As the descendant of abolitionists and Union soldiers who fought and 
died to purge this land of the crime of human slavery, I well know why 
certain terms--such as white nationalist and white supremacist--are 
offensive. And I always have and always will reject them completely.
  I stipulate that the Record reflects precisely my words, which are 
those of a man who loves his country and all its people and will 
continue to work for the betterment of our society for all Americans, 
who are all endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights 
and are equal under the law.

                          ____________________