WASHINGTON, DC — House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and other Republicans are backing the third-ranked Republican in the U.S. House after it was revealed House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana spoke to a white supremacist hate group twelve years ago.
“More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate,” said Boehner. “Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our Whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans.”
Scalise is said to be a Tea Party favorite, and even delivered the Republican radio address on Saturday, July 19, 2014. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy also issued a statement of support for Scalise.
In a statement, Scalise said that as a state representative at the time of the speech in 2002, he “spoke to many groups” which included the white supremacist group, in an effort to build support for cutting what he called “wasteful state spending”.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee condemned Scalise in a powerful statement Tuesday.
“Steve Scalise chose to cheerlead for a group of KKK members and neo-Nazis at a white supremacist rally and now his fellow House Republican Leaders can’t even speak up and say he was wrong,” said DCCC National Press Secretary Josh Schwerin. “While David Duke defends Scalise, Speaker Boehner and Leader McCarthy are refusing to condemn Scalise’s choice of allies. Republicans in Congress might talk about improving their terrible standing with non-white voters, but it’s clear their leadership has a history of embracing anti-Semitic, racist hate groups. Republicans are off to a banner start for their new Congress – on the path to break their own record for least popular Congress in history.”
What a shame to condemn a person for talking to a group 10 years ago. What about Eric the gun runner Holder, being involved with the Black Panther party. Maybe Scalise is on to something.
What’s so bad about being a member of the black panthers? Who threw first stone? Whites or blacks?
The black panthers are domestic terrorists. It’s like saying during the 60’s, whats so wrong with being a communist.
Are you saying this with a straight face? Surely your fingers are crossed behind your back, calling the black panthers domestic terrorists while making no mention of the TERRORIST KKK which systematically, brutally terrorized blacks and other minorities throughout this country’s inception. Despite the KKK’s formal birth post civil war, their organization was already defacto in place capturing and trading slaves. BP’s developed to protect blacks from this residual trauma abuse.
Even though I don’t approve of the KKK, the KKK was against a race of people, blacks, jews, ect. The black panthers was against the government, which makes them domestic terrorists.
The KKK were spinoff confederate soldiers who formed partisan guerilla platoons which attacked and terrorized populations, freed slaves, and Union soldiers. Your ignorance is astounding.
As usual you are spinning things to try to confuse the subject. Sure the KKK is bad but I am talking about an organization that is against the government. The KKK became a political movement, they were against certain people, like I said blacks and jews but they tried to put out that they were for the people. The black panthers were against the government and sole purpose was chaos and anarchy.
Attacking Union soldiers is going against the government, as was targeting elected officials and sympathizers. The KKK wishes to install their own version of an Imperial Wizard Caliphate. You’re all wrong.
And what you fail to consider is that the United States Government had been the number one Terrorist Organization African Americans were struggling against during the inception of the Black Panthers. But you won’t accept that because you’re white, from middle America, and haven’t a CLUE what in the hell you’re talking about.
@Maybe-I am willing to bet that very few people know the KKK were Democrats.
I knew that and something else I do know is peter is stuck in the past. In the past the KKK went against the union soldiers probably making them a terrorist back then but now they are more a quiet political movement but in the past and even more now the black panthers are a domestic terrorist organization. Either that or he is just trying to start another fight. Either way I will stop on this subject now.
You should stop on the subject because you’re skewing the facts to fit your ideas. You also fail to be compassionate towards the struggle of African Americans as they were imprisoned, enslaved, beat, murdered, raped, separated, bought, sold, and discriminated against. Who wouldn’t want to fight back against that? Use common sense Maybe…because it seems you lack any. Are you really this insensitive or are you just trying to impress LVS??
It’s well known that a polar shift occurred where Democrats became Republicans and vice a versa. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, but in today’s world would be a Democrat. I tend to think of them both though as different piles. The Democrats actually have it wrong on a lot of things, but the Republicans start wars, and for that reason alone, I tend to side with Democrats. However, if the right Repub came along (I liked Ron Paul and caucused Republican with him) I would vote Repub