Top Republicans Oppose Steve King’s “Exoneration”

Roll Call reports:

Rep. Steve King said he and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy agreed he should be able to sit on committees, a privilege King was stripped of when he made racist comments in early 2019, but some top Republicans are not open to the idea.

Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming — the third-highest ranking Republican in the House and who has called on King to resign more than once — does not want King to gain back his committee assignments. “No, she does not,” a spokesperson for Cheney said when asked if she supported the idea of King regaining his committee slots.

Steve Stivers, a member of the Republican Steering Committee, gave $2,000 to King’s primary opponent Randy Feenstra on Dec. 31, 2019. The Ohio Republican, who previously chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee, tweeted his opposition to King potentially regaining his committee duties.

Rep. Steve King claims he will get his committees back next year. As long as I am a member of the Republican Steering Committee, I will not allow hate & bigotry to influence the legislation passed by Congress. He will not be serving on any committee. https://t.co/OLjkKrSS4L

— Steve Stivers (@stevestivers) May 13, 2020

Rep. Steve King says @GOPleader has agreed to an “exoneration” where he can get his committee assignments back, including the seniority, after he was removed last year for his musings on white supremacy. https://t.co/077YKgMyhI

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) May 13, 2020