White Nationalist Steve King Mad At His Dratted Phone, And What’s Google Anyway
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) questions witnesses during a House Judiciary Committee hearing concerning the oversight of the U.S. refugee admissions program. Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
When Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, white nationalist Rep. Steve King thought it a good time to ask about an issue his granddaughter had with her iPhone — an iconic product with which Google, and Pichai, is not affiliated.
Business Insider reported that while Pichai was being grilled, King asked why, when his 7-year-old granddaughter was playing a game on her phone before an election, a notification popped up with his image accompanied by foul language.
Then, the Iowa congressman held up his Apple device. “How does that show up on a 7-year-old’s iPhone who’s playing a kids game?” he asked Pichai.
“Congressman, iPhone is made by a different company,” the Google CEO responded, causing the Democratic staff to break out in laughter.
King tried to save himself: “It might have been an Android. It’s just … it was a hand-me-down of some kind.”
Pichai offered to follow up with him later, as in the moment, he couldn’t get into the workings of a secondhand phone, possibly made by a competitor, according to The Verge.
“You know, I’m happy to follow up when I understand the specifics,” Pichai said. “There may be an application which was being used which had a notification. But I’m happy to understand it better and clarify it for you.”
Later in the hearing, Rep. Ted Lieu reportedly told the Iowa congressman that if he wanted “positive search results, do positive things,” Business Insider reported, referring to King’s long history of making anti-Semitic and racist comments.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
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