Oppo Drop: Louisiana Congressman and New House Majority Whip Steve Scalise Spoke at Gathering Organized by David Duke in 2002

Well okay then.

Scalise claims to not have known the group's background or ideology.

Although, you know, when a group is calling itself "Euro-American Unity," you should know. "Euro" and "European" and "European-American" are all buzzwords used by Duke and other white-rights folks.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the newly elected House majority whip, acknowledged Monday that he spoke at a gathering hosted by white nationalist leaders while serving as a state representative in 2002, thrusting a racial controversy into House Republican ranks days before the party assumes control of both congressional chambers.

The 48-year-old Scalise, who ascended to the House GOP’s third-ranking post earlier this year, confirmed through an adviser that he once appeared at a convention of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization.

That organization, founded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, has been called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"Beyond hosting a Web site, whitecivilrights.com, and staging an occasional conference, EURO is a paper tiger, serving primarily as a vehicle to publicize Duke’s writing and sell his books," the SPLC writes on its Web site.

In a statement, Scalise’s spokesperson Moira Bagley emphasized that the then-state lawmaker was unaware at the time of the group's ideology and its association with racists and neo-Nazi activists.

On Twitter, people are Questioning the Timing -- Why now, of all times? It's well after the elections, including the late runoff for the Senate seat; why drop this damaging information now?

One of those guys suggests that it's Scalise's camp who dumped the information -- getting it out there when it's harmless to do so.

posted by Ace at 06:32 PM

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