Congressman Lewis Condemns Steve King’s ‘Bigoted And Racist’ Tweet

Civil rights icon John Lewis, Congressman from Georgia, has called out Iowa Republican Steve King for his “deeply disturbing” statements over the weekend.

Congressman Lewis said that King’s controversial remark “ignores the truth about the history of this nation.”

“Western civilization did not create itself. It was founded on traditions that emerged from Africa, Iran, China, Greece and Rome and other nations,” lewis said in his statement.

“With the exception of Native Americans, we all came to this land from some other place in the world community, and this country is a melting pot of cultures, traditions, appearances, and languages. In order to live together as one people we must come to respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. It is that understanding that will make us one nation, not a homogenous appearance,” Lewis continued.

“Rep. King’s statement is bigoted and racist,” Lewis said.

Lewis was responding to a tweet that King sent out on Sunday praising a right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders. King said in his tweet, “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”