WASHINGTON – Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa today claimed that he has never heard the phrase “black people,” has never used it, and does not know what it means.

King’s comments come a day after he asserted in an interview with Newsmax TV that all of the protestors currently clashing with police in Ferguson, Missouri are of a single “continental origin.”

“I’ve seen the video,” King said. “[The protestors] all appear to be of a single, you know, of a single origin, I should say, a continental origin might be the way to phrase that.” Therefore, King said, charges that police there may be engaging in racial profiling are baseless.

King was quickly criticized for employing a “euphemism so moronic it’s offensive.” “If he means ‘black people,’ why can’t he just say ‘black people’?” asked Representative Maxine Waters, D-Calif. “Is he a coward, or just stupid?”

King responded today by saying that he “has never heard of this phrase people are accusing [him] of avoiding.”

“Do you mean to say that you’ve never once in your life heard or used the phrase ‘black people’?” King was asked this morning by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

“I don’t know what you mean by that, George,” King responded. “Are you speaking in Canadian or something?”

“I’ve seen a lot of people in my time, and not one of them has been the color black,” King said after Stephanopoulos explained the term. “I’ve seen people wear black clothing, sure, and some of the people I know from the continent below Europe are a very dark brown—but certainly not black.”

“Frankly,” King continued, “I suspect that this phrase was invented by the left just to make me look bad, somehow.”

King reiterated that he believes the protests in Ferguson—which have escalated dramatically since a local police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager—will likely “blow over any day now.”

“Individuals of sub-Saharan genomic lineage can get pretty fired up, in my experience, but soon enough they’ll realize their energy would be better spent on the basketball court,” King explained. “They love basketball.”