CNN commentator and Republican strategist Ana Navarro unloaded on Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Monday over his controversial tweet referring to “somebody else's babies.”
King was accused of racism after a Sunday tweet praising Geert Wilders, a nationalist, far-right Dutch politician. “Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny,” King wrote. “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”
Asked for her thoughts when she saw the King post on social media, Navarro called King a “pathetic little racist.”
“This man has been in Congress now for seven terms, 14 years, and this is his only call to fame — to be a racist, to be constantly making these kind of denigrating remarks,” Navarro said during a discussion on the cable outlet.
Navarro listed a litany of other controversial remarks made by King, saying that he has "compared Mexicans to dogs" and has said that "Hispanic immigrant youth were coming in with calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re smuggling drugs."
“This is what the guy does,” she said. “This is the only thing he knows how to do. He can’t pass legislation. He can’t write legislation. The only thing he can do is make controversial, incendiary, offensive remarks and that is what makes him relevant and puts him on TV because he has no other accomplishments.”
Navarro called King “an embarrassment to the Republican Party” and thanked GOP lawmakers who have condemned his remarks.
King's tweet was widely criticized on social media, including by members of King’s party and Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann.
King clarified his comments Monday, telling CNN, “I meant exactly what I said,” but noted that he was referring to culture, not race.
"Steve King being the pathetic little racist that he always is" - @ananavarro on controversial tweet by @SteveKingIA https://t.co/Rzu34Epmn8
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) March 13, 2017
(H/T: Mediaite)
