The only black Republican senator on Friday launched a strong attack on another Republican parliamentarian, accused of racism after remarks defending white supremacism.
"White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization, since when has this language become offensive?" Asked Steve King this week, elected from Iowa to the House of Representatives since 2003. "Why am I sat in classrooms where I was taught the value of our history and our civilization? ", he continued in an interview in The New York Times.
"Dangerous" words. "Some in our party wondering why Republicans are constantly accused of racism is because of our silence when statements like this are made," replied his Republican college Tim Scott, the only black senator of the Conservative party. Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican minority in the House, also denounced the words of Steve King. "Steve's words are dangerous, wrong and have no place in our society," he said.
This controversy comes as the Republican party is currently shaken by another case of racism. A campaign by some Republicans in Texas to dismiss a Muslim Republican leader because of his religion failed after he was confirmed in office. On Thursday night, the members of the local branch of the Republican Party voted (139 votes in favor, 49 against) to confirm Shahid Shafi, a surgeon by trade, in his position as vice president.
"A lot of work to do" Several Conservative voices from Tarrant County, near Dallas, had risen to denounce the presence of Shahid Shafi as party leader because of his Muslim faith. The case had a national impact, and prominent Republican figures from Texas, such as Senator Ted Cruz or Governor Greg Abbott, supported Shahid Shafi. "Religious freedom has won tonight," said the chairman of the Republican section of Tarrant County after the vote, quoted by the Dallas Morning News. "This victory is also a warning that we have a lot of work to do to unify our party," he added.