Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, called for the resignation of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, over his racist remarks — the first GOP congressman to do so — while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's rebuke Monday made him the highest-ranking Republican to condemn King.
"I think he ought to step aside, and I think Congress ought to make it very clear he has no place there," Romney said, per CNN.
Romney also called King's racially charged comments "reprehensible."
"They have no place in polite society, certainly no place in the Republican Party, and they should have no place in the United States Congress," Romney said, NBC reported. "He ought to resign and move on."
Thus far, the House GOP has declared Rep. King will not serve on any committees, MSNBC reported.
In a Senate statement to The Hill, McConnell, R-Ky., declared, "I have no tolerance for such positions and those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms."
"Rep. King's statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position," he added. "If he doesn't understand why 'white supremacy' is offensive, he should find another line of work."
In his latest controversial remarks, King commented to The New York Times, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?"
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