Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that King’s “recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate.”
“We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior,” Stivers said.
Stivers’ remarks set him apart from the top three House Republican leaders – Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana – all of whom have declined to criticize King in recent weeks.
After liberal activists on social media lobbied some of Mr. King’s corporate donors to cut ties with the representative, the Midwestern dairy giant Land O’Lakes withdrew its support, saying in a statement that it wants its “contributions to be a positive force for good.”
New polling from Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District indicates that he is in a statistical tie with his Democratic opponent, J. D. Scholten, a former baseball player and a first-time candidate, who has significantly outraised him. Iowa Republicans are already at risk of losing two other House seats.
Will J.D. Scholten unseat the king? Find out next week on WeedPress.
Over nearly 16 years, Mr. King has evolved from a stalwart conservative to a vocal opponent of immigration to the edge of white supremacy. He compared immigrants to dogs and said young migrants had “calves the size of cantaloupes” because they were hauling in bales of marijuana. He once tweeted a political cartoon depicting President Barack Obama wearing a turban.
Two weeks ago, he endorsed Faith Goldy, who has previously recited the 14-word manifesto used by neo-Nazis, in her race for Toronto mayor. And in the spring, he retweeted an anti-immigration message from a prominent Nazi sympathizer who has described himself as an admirer of Hitler. (Mr. King defended that decision, adding, “I will retweet the devil if the devil tweets, ‘I Love Jesus.’ It’s the message, not the messenger.”)
But the tipping point may have come last week when news reports revealed that Mr. King had met in August with members of an Austrian political party associated with neo-Nazi movements while he was on a trip to Holocaust sites that was funded by a Holocaust memorial charity, From the Depths.
His local newspaper, The Sioux City Journal, which had endorsed Mr. King in previous races, instead endorsed Mr. Scholten.
“Each time King immerses himself in controversy, he holds up this district to ridicule and marginalizes himself within the legislative body he serves,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote, “neither of which provides benefit to Iowans who live and work here.”
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 
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