US lawmaker unapologetic over alleged racist remark

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A U.S. lawmaker on Monday stood by his comments in support of a far-right Dutch politician notorious for his Islamophobic views.

Republican Representative Steve King of Iowa tweeted over the weekend that Geert Wilders “understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies.”

When confronted during a CNN interview, King said he "meant exactly what I said.

“You've got to keep your birth rate up, and that you need to teach your children your values. In doing so, you can grow your population, you can strengthen your culture, and you can strengthen your way of life,” King said.

He repeatedly dodged the question of whether he considered all Americans equal irrespective of differences.

King’s remarks have sparked outrage, including among Republican lawmakers who viewed the comments as racist and xenophobic.

Former Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush said: "America is a nation of immigrants. The sentiment expressed by Steve King doesn't reflect our shared history or values.”

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is of Jewish-Cuban descent, responded to the congressman on Twitter, telling him to "get a clue".

"Diversity is our strength. All looking alike is such a waste. A travesty. I wanna be me. All others are taken," the Florida Republican wrote on Twitter.

King’s tweet included a cartoon featuring Wilders, which was posted on an anti-EU account. The Dutch politician is depicted plugging a hole on the wall of “Western Civilization”, which appears threatened by a surging wave of green, toxic-looking substance carrying the Islamic star and crescent.

The anti-Islam, anti-immigration Party for Freedom led by Wilders, who some are calling the “Dutch Donald Trump”, is neck and neck with the ruling party ahead of the March 15 general election.

King's comments over the weekend are not the first to have proven as a lightning rod.

He infamously said in July 2013 that while some children who were brought to this country illegally are now highly successful students, for each of them "there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” At the time, King similarly refused to back down from the incendiary statement.