The previous presumed racist controversy of Steve Scalise has come up in the spotlight as his opposition looks at the replacement candidate for Kevin McCarthy.
Stephen Scalise, born on October 6, 1965, is an American politician who is currently the House Majority Leader.
He has also been the U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 1st congressional district since 2008.
He is a member of the Republican Party, previously serving as the House Majority Whip from 2014 to 2019. Additionally, he also served as the House Minority Whip from 2019 to 2023.
Interestingly, he’s the first person from Louisiana to serve as Majority Whip since Hale Boggs from Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district held that position from 1962 to 1971.
Furthermore, in 2017, Scalise became the dean of the Louisiana congressional delegation after Senator David Vitter retired.
Now, the previous controversy, which is related to Steve Scalise presumably giving a racist speech, has resurfaced.
Did Steve Scalise Make Racist Speech? White Supremacist Controversy
In 2002, Steve Scalise spoke at a gathering organized by the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), a group associated with David Duke.
This information came to light in 2014 when political blogger Lamar White, Jr. uncovered comments from 2002 on Stormfront, a white supremacist website, that mentioned Scalise as a speaker at the 2002 convention.
He also acknowledged that he had spoken at the conference. He had said,
I didn’t know who all of these groups were and I detest any kind of hate group. For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that monitors extremist groups, categorizes EURO as a “white nationalist” hate group.
The founder of the EURO group, David Duke, has become notorious as the former Ku Klux Klan leader.
David Duke has a history of promoting white supremacy and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. He was previously a grand wizard or the national leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
Much of his political and written work revolves around spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about Jews.
It includes denying the Holocaust and suggesting Jewish influence over education, the media, and the financial system.
In 2013, the Anti-Defamation League referred to Duke as “perhaps America’s most well-known racist and anti-Semite”.
As such, Steve Scalise found himself in a racist controversy from the information that came out saying he spoke at one of David’s conferences.
Though he has said that he regrets this action.
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Steve Scalise Said ‘I Regret’ Doing Speech
Steve Scalise had previously apologized publicly for making the speech at EURO in 2002.
In 2014, when the controversy first happened, he explained that he delivered the EURO speech to gather support for a tax plan he was advocating for in the state legislature.
As per Politico, Steve said in his statement that he spoke to many different Louisiana groups as a state representative.
He just wanted to build support for legislation that focused on cutting wasteful state spending, eliminating government corruption, and stopping tax hikes.
He added,
One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold……
Recently, the controversy resurfaced as his opposition looked to bring up his past since he is one of the candidates for replacing the Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
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