Rep. Steve King Draws Rebukes For 'Someone Else's Babies' Comment

Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, is facing wide-ranging criticism after he tweeted out comments warning about immigration, saying "We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies."

King added the comments to a retweet of a Dutch politician's cartoon showing himself, Geert Wilders, plugging a hole in a wall titled "Western Civilization."

Here's the tweet from the weekend that sparked the controversy:

Many Republicans were shocked by the statements, which many interpreted as an attack on immigration, whether it's illegal or legal. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican, did not directly comment on the matter, but a spokesperson for his office said Ryan "clearly disagrees and believes America’s long history of inclusiveness is one of its great strengths," according to Kasie Hunt of NBC News.

Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor and presidential candidate, denounced the comments on Twitter:

David Duke, a white supremacist and former leader of the Ku Klu Klan, praised the comments on Twitter, writing "GOD BLESS STEVE KING!!!"

In a interview on CNN's "New Day" Monday, King stood by the comments, saying he was a defender of "Western Civilization."

He made the odd comment during the interview, "I'd like to see an America that's just so homogeneous that we look a lot the same."

Some interpreted this statement as implying that he wanted the United States to be predominantly white, but the extended context of his comment appears to actually imply that he is hoping for a more interracial society than we have now. However, it was an an opaque and somewhat bizarre phrasing, open to multiple interpretations.

"I think there's been far too much focus on race especially in the last eight years, and I want to see that put behind us," King said.

Watch the relevant section of the interview:

Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images