The White House said Monday that House Republicans’ selection of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana “says a lot about who they are,” but refused to say whether Mr. Scalise should step down over giving a speech to a white supremacist group in 2002.
“It is the responsibility of members of the House Republican conference to choose their leaders,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “But there’s no arguing that who Republicans decide to elevate in a leadership position says a lot about their values.”
He said the choice of any lawmaker for a leadership spot “says a lot about who they are, what their values are and what the priorities of the conference should be.”
Mr. Earnest said Republicans in recent years have talked a lot about the need “to broaden their appeal,” and they’ll have to decide whether Mr. Scalise fits with that priority.
Mr. Scalise has apologized for giving a speech in 2002 to a group founded by the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke. Other House Republican leaders haven’t indicated any move to replace him.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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