Iowa Rep. Steve King invites half of Diamond & Silk duo to State of the Union address
The invite comes after he ignited a bipartisan firestorm for asking The New York Times last month, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”
A number of congressional members are bringing some special guests to tonight’s State of the Union address.
For Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King, he’s decided to invite one half of Right wing media’s favorite Black internet duo Diamond and Silk. King made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
“Having only one ticket, I invited one of two guests for the State of the Union tonight, Lynnette Hardaway & Rochelle Richardson, otherwise [known] as Diamond & Silk,” King tweeted. “Diamond won the coin toss.”
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Having only one ticket, I invited one of two guests for the State of the Union tonight, #sotu Lynnette Hardaway & Rochelle Richardson, otherwise know as Diamond & Silk. Diamond won the coin toss. Both will be my guest speakers at COS in the morning. pic.twitter.com/bCutypAOoJ
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) February 5, 2019
“Both will be my guest speakers at [Conservative Opportunity Society] in the morning,” he added.
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The decision to invite Diamond comes a couple of weeks after the congressman, long known for his racist statements, said in a New York Times interview: “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”
House Republicans, after King was roundly condemned by Democrats, responded by removing King from his positions on the House Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees.
The House also overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning white nationalism and white supremacy by a 424-1 vote, with the lone dissenter saying it was not specific enough in its condemnation of King. They stopped short of formal censure.
Other members of Congress have invited notable guests, including Democratic House Speaker Speaker Nancy Pelosi who invited celebrity chef José Andrés, who has been vocal in his disdain for Donald Trump and has worked to bring food to people in his native Puerto Rico, according to The Hill.
Newly-minted Democratic New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez invited Ana Maria Archila, the activist who last fall confronted then-Sen. Jeff Flake during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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