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Another day, another vile comment from antigay Rep. Steve King of Iowa.
Over the weekend, the soon-to-be-ex-congressman tweeted at Vice President-elect Kamala Harris questioning her identity and demanding to know whether she descends from “slaves or slave owners.”
“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 tweeted on Sunday.
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?
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) November 22, 2020
It’s unclear why King felt the need to tweet this or why he thinks being the descendant of “slaves or slave owners” hinders her ability to lead. (Spoiler: It doesn’t!)
The unprovoked tweet was met with swift backlash…
Who’s going to tell him how Black people got to Jamaica and how some of their descendants wound up with European blood? https://t.co/IfQmODBKUn
— Joy WE VOTED!! WEAR A MASK!! Reid ?) (@JoyAnnReid) November 22, 2020
You misspelled, “Congratulations on your historic win, @KamalaHarris.” Read a book.
— Wendy Boucher (@AdventurePants5) November 22, 2020
Yet another example of why the forthcoming 117th Congress will be a better Congress without him in it. https://t.co/0MHIcbQlGg
— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) November 23, 2020
That’s a lot of big talk coming from a man whose gravesite is going to be a gender neutral restroom.
— Aaron Wren (@AaronWren86) November 22, 2020
Just wondering @SteveKingIA, are you descendant from the Europeans who were sent to populate the “New World” who came from prisons or the ones who came from the insane asylums? https://t.co/Tx8SGBqcgu
— Dr. Avis (@SistahScholar) November 23, 2020
You’re a racist, sexist piece of shit.
But of course we knew that.
— Preston Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) November 23, 2020
Afterwards, King followed up with a second tweet accusing people of “throwing the dishes at me” for simply “asking an important question” before lodging an attack on another Black lawmaker, Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana.
“Why are you @KamalaHarris supporters throwing the dishes at me for asking an important question?” he asked. “Meet @CedricRichmond original sponsor of HR 40, the Slavery Reparations bill. Cedric, you will have a hard time pushing slavery reparations unless Kamala is willing to write a check.”
Why are you @KamalaHarris supporters throwing the dishes at me for asking an important question? Meet @CedricRichmond original sponsor of HR 40, the Slavery Reparations bill. Cedric, you will have a hard time pushing slavery reparations unless Kamala is willing to write a check. https://t.co/UPGJL5dyct
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) November 22, 2020
Of course, 71-year-old King, who fears same-sex marriage will lead to people marrying their lawnmowers and believes it should be legal to fire someone for being LGBTQ, has a long history of making racist and other inflammatory remarks.
In an interview with The New York Times last year, he openly questioned when the words “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” became racist.
Thankfully, in less than two months, State Senator Randy Feenstra will replace him in the U.S. House of Representatives after handily beating him in the June 2020 Republican primary.
Related: Marriage Equality Means “You Can Marry Your Lawnmower” According To Rep Steve King
Queerty