Fox News host Greta van Susteren argued Sunday morning that incoming GOP Majority Whip Steve Scalise should have gracefully stepped aside after it was reported he gave a speech in 2002 to a group founded by the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke.
“I think he is a distraction, but I think this is a huge missed opportunity for the Republican Party,” she said on ABC News, Mediaite reported. “If the Republican Party want[s] to send a message out there, and I don’t know whether it’s fair to Congressman Scalise or not fair to him — whatever — but associating with David Duke is grossly unwise.
“There’s no secret who David Duke is. I realize it’s 12 years ago; he says he was there. Some people say he wasn’t there. I don’t know what that is,” Ms. Van Susteren continued. “But if you want to send a messages to the American people, Republicans and Democrats, this would have been the opportunity to say he should step aside, whether it’s fair or not, and send a message that we’re not going to have this distraction. We really do want to have everybody on board.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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