Iowa Congressman Asks If Sen. Kamala Harris Is A Descendant Of ‘Slave Owners’
An Iowa congressman, who is known for his offensive remarks, publicly asked Vice President-elect Kamala Harris -- who identifies as both Black and South Asian -- if she’s the descendant of slave owners. It is one of a list of incendiary remarks that has even made other Republicans distance themselves from him.
On Nov. 22, Republican Rep. Steve King tweeted, “I’m reading that @KamalaHarris made history as first woman, first black woman, first Asian woman, etc = a boatload of intersectionality points. But Kamala, are you descended from slaves or slave owners?”
King has a long history of problematic comments from appearing to support white nationalism to his alleged attack on Black farmers. In a New York Times interview, he said “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”
Last year, he was removed from his House committee seats after making remarks that defended white supremacy and even Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell suggested that he “find another line of work.”
King lost his bid for re-election, however, in a Republican primary-upset to Randy Feenstra after 18 years in office. His replacement starts his term on Jan. 1.
