U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Storm Lake, was removed from his committee assignments in January in the wake of racist comments he made during an interview with the New York Times. King is now attempting to re-join congressional committees.

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive,” King said to the New York Times in January.

In an interview with Politico on Tuesday, King called his removal from committees a “political lynch mob.”

“I had to let the blood cool,” King said in the interview. “And the blood has now cooled, and now [Republican congressional leadership] don’t want to be faced with the reality of what they’ve done.”

Politico reports a number of Republican lawmakers in contact with King are attempting to force their caucus to consider a resolution to restore him to his committee positions.

During an April town hall, King said his removal from committees gave him insight to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

“And when I had to step down to the floor of the House of Representatives and look up at those 400-and-some accusers — you know, we’ve just passed through Easter and Christ’s Passion — and I have a better insight into what he went through for us, partly because of that experience.”

King faces multiple Republican primary challengers in his 2020 bid for re-election.

In the first quarter of 2019, King raised $61,666 for his re-election campaign. King was out-raised by two of his three Republican primary challengers, with Iowa Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, raising more than four times as much as him.

King has a long history of making racist statements and continued to make them in a town hall last week.

“If we presume that every culture is equal and has an equal amount to contribute to our civilization, then we’re devaluing the contributions of the people that laid the foundation for America, and that’s our founding fathers,” King said.