White House knocks GOP over Scalise

GOP support for House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) says something about the party’s values, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday.

Earnest stopped short of calling for Republicans to drop Scalise from leadership but signaled the White House intends to remind people about Scalise’s address to a white supremacist group a dozen years ago.

{mosads}“[President Obama] believes it’s ultimately their decision to make,” Earnest said. “But there’s no arguing that who the Republicans decide to elevate into a leadership position says a lot about what the conference’s priorities and values are.”

Earnest noted that Scalise had reportedly described himself as “David Duke without the baggage,” and that Republicans had placed a priority on outreach to minority groups.

Scalise said last week that he regretted speaking to the group, which was founded by Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, as part of an effort to build support for his economic plan.

“It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold,” Scalise said.

Republican leaders have thus far stood by the Louisiana lawmaker, with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) saying Scalise retained his “full confidence” despite the “error in judgment.”

“Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character,” Boehner said.