- Fri Jan 02, 2015 12:13 pm
#51691
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke issued a warning to Republicans who have criticized House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) for speaking to a white nationalist group in 2002, saying they "better be looking over their shoulders."
David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan at the center of a brewing congressional scandal, told Fusion on Monday that two of his top associates invited Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) to a conference hosted by a controversial Duke-founded group in 2002.
Scalise, the House Majority whip, has come under fire after reports emerged he had spoken before the conference in 2002. Duke’s group, the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, or EURO, has been described as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a characterization Duke rejects.
Scalise’s office didn’t deny he had spoken at the conference — stopping short of confirming it — but pleaded ignorance and said he was “never affiliated with the abhorrent group in question.”
Duke told Fusion he has met with Scalise several times, along with other members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation. He believes two close associates — Howie Farrell and Kenny Knight — invited Scalise to speak at the conference.
Scalise has struggled to distance himself from Duke since a Louisiana blogger revealed earlier this week that the GOP leader had associated with the former KKK Grand Wizard and had spoken to a group Duke founded, the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, in 2002.
"I didn't know who all of these groups were, and I detest any kind of hate group," Scalise said on Monday.
Peter Wehner, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, said the news about Scalise's 2002 speech is "acidic for the Republican Party." But GOP leaders -- including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) -- are standing by Scalise amid the controversy.
David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan at the center of a brewing congressional scandal, told Fusion on Monday that two of his top associates invited Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) to a conference hosted by a controversial Duke-founded group in 2002.
Scalise, the House Majority whip, has come under fire after reports emerged he had spoken before the conference in 2002. Duke’s group, the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, or EURO, has been described as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a characterization Duke rejects.
Scalise’s office didn’t deny he had spoken at the conference — stopping short of confirming it — but pleaded ignorance and said he was “never affiliated with the abhorrent group in question.”
Duke told Fusion he has met with Scalise several times, along with other members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation. He believes two close associates — Howie Farrell and Kenny Knight — invited Scalise to speak at the conference.
Scalise has struggled to distance himself from Duke since a Louisiana blogger revealed earlier this week that the GOP leader had associated with the former KKK Grand Wizard and had spoken to a group Duke founded, the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, in 2002.
"I didn't know who all of these groups were, and I detest any kind of hate group," Scalise said on Monday.
Peter Wehner, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, said the news about Scalise's 2002 speech is "acidic for the Republican Party." But GOP leaders -- including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) -- are standing by Scalise amid the controversy.
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