Report: Leaked messages reveal white nationalist group rallied to keep GOP Rep. Steve King in office
Leaked chat messages show members of a white nationalist group rallied to support Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) earlier this year, after he suggested the term "white supremacist" shouldn't be "offensive."
On Wednesday, a media organization called Unicorn Riot released what it says are "more than 770,000 messages from chat servers associated with Identity Evropa," a white nationalist organization, HuffPost reports. These messages reveal members rallied to support King after his statement caused an uproar and he was stripped of his committee assignments.
Concerned that King, who has a history of making racist remarks, would be forced out of office, one user wrote: "Steve King is more useful in Congress than as a nobody. He needs to be more careful about who he talks to and to not make tactless statements to the media."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Identity Evropa's leader, Patrick Casey, reportedly urged his members to call the office of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to let him know they stood behind King, and before the November midterms, users were encouraged to donate to his campaign and call his office to let him know he had their backing. "We need 100 Steve Kings in office," one user wrote.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
