TJ Walker breaks down how Steve Scalise should handle the controversy over his 2002 speech to a Klan-linked group and David Duke's endorsement. Walker says Scalise needs three things: unequivocal denouncement of the Klan and Duke, admission he failed to vet the group, and a direct apology delivered personally, not through a spokesperson.
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It's crisis time for house majority whip steve scalise. So the new Republican House whip, a very senior leadership position, Steve Scalise has been caught or it's been revealed that he spoke to an organization associated with the Ku Klux Klan, not in the 1930s, as in the case of Robert Byrd, but this century in 2002. And this is obviously a huge political problem for him personally, the Republican Party in general. The Republican Party has been accused of being insensitive to minorities. And now you have a situation where not just some low level Republican member of Congress, but someone in a senior leadership position was seen speaking to a Klan organization. And to make matters worse, David Duke, one of the most famous, perhaps the most famous Klansmen in the country, yesterday endorsed Scalise, saying he's a fine family man. How's that for a non helpful endorsement if you're a politician? So how does Steve Scalise get out of this? So far he's had a spokesperson saying he's not associated and doesn't approve of this organization. That's a bit too weak. That's not going to make this go away. He needs to make a public statement. It should either be in a press conference format or in a video where he states categorically that he abhors everything the Klan stands for, that he didn't know exactly what the orientation was of this organization when he spoke, but that in retrospect, he did not do his due diligence and he did not do his proper homework. And he is at fault for not vetting the organization more properly before attending. Here's the thing. It's one thing to go on a TV network that you might not agree with. Believe me, every political figure at some point either doesn't agree with Fox News, MSNBC or Al Jazeera. And yet many people go on all three. I myself have gone on all three. But it's a little bit different if you're speaking to an organization, especially if you're not getting paid, because then you're really doing that organization a favor. You're traveling to that organization, you're spending a fair amount of time. It is essentially an endorsement at some level of the organization. And to make it seem as though as a Republican, you're endorsing the Ku Klux Klan, you're really confirming the worst stereotypes of your party and you're fueling the attacks of your opponents. So he's got to be much more forceful. So again, I would recommend he he have a several pronged message. One categorically denouncing the Klan. David Duke. Number two, making people realize he had no idea what the values were of this organization that invited him to speak. Number three, criticizing himself, saying, I was wrong. I am at fault for not doing my homework on that organization, and if I had, I wouldn't have spoken. Now, if he does that and he doesn't hide behind spokespersons and press releases, I believe he can get past this controversy and it won't tarnish him. But if he continues to hide behind press releases and spokespersons, the issue isn't going to go away. Now, some Democratic members of Congress are calling for an investigation. Well, if he says he did it and he was wrong and he apologizes, there's really not much left to investigate.
