Louisiana’s only Democrat in Congress, Rep. Troy Carter defended his GOP counterpart Steve Scalise Thursday after his fellow Republican repeated left-wing claims that he has attended white supremacist conferences in the past and called himself “David Duke without the baggage.”
Carter (D-La.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, stated that he had never witnessed Scalise (R-La.) display racial intolerance.
“Earlier today I was asked if Congressman Scalise is racist. I have known the man for 25 years and we have significant ideological differences. We often agree to disagree,” Carter, 59, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“However, at that time, I never saw him show racial intolerance. I count him among my friends and I wouldn’t do it if I felt otherwise.”
Carter’s statement followed an incendiary interview given by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) to CNN Wednesday afternoon where she outlined her reasons for not voting for Scalise, the current House majority leader, to replace Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker.
Troy Carter defended Steve Scalise, whom he has known for more than two decades. AP
Earlier today I was asked if Congressman Scalise is a racist. I have known the man for 25 years and we have significant ideological differences. We often agree to disagree. In that time, however, I have never seen him show racial intolerance. I count him among my friends and…
— Congressman Troy A. Carter (@RepTroyCarter) October 12, 2023
“I personally cannot, in good conscience, vote for someone who attends a white supremacist conference and compares himself to David Duke,” Mace told “The Lead” host Jake Tapper.
“I would be doing a great disservice to the voters I represent in South Carolina if I did that.”
Back in 2002, Scalise spoke at a conference hosted by the European-American Solidarity and Rights Organization, a group founded by notorious neo-Nazi and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Scalise admitted in 2014 that he attended the event to talk about taxes, but insisted he was unaware of the group’s leader’s stance, calling it “a mistake I regret.”
Steve Scalise has served in the House since 2008.AP
Duke associate Kenny Knight claimed that Scalise spoke with individuals unrelated to the group before the conference, but “wasn’t there as a guest speaker,” Slate reported at the time.
A Louisiana political reporter later claimed that the Republican lawmaker called himself “David Duke without the baggage,” the New York Times reported the following January.
“I think he means he supports the same policy ideas as David Duke, but he’s not David Duke, that he doesn’t have the same feelings about certain people as David Duke,” the reporter, Stephanie Grace, told the outlet.
Mace: I’ll vote for Jim Jordan on the floor. I personally cannot, in good conscience, vote for someone who attends a white supremacy conference and compares himself to David Duke. . pic.twitter.com/PETIPInLxk
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 11, 2023
Nancy Mace has come under fire from Republicans for standing up to Kevin McCarthy.AP
However, there is no confirmation that Scalise ever made that statement.
Scalise, 58, is undergoing treatment for blood cancer and previously survived an assassination attempt at a 2017 Congressional Baseball Game practice.
Mace joined seven other GOP rebels in ousting McCarthy on Oct. 3
Since then, House Republicans have been scrambling to replace him as the lower chamber is paralyzed.
The South Carolina lawmaker endorsed Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for speaker and told Tapper he would vote for him on the House floor.
Steve Scalise has been working the phones and trying to include the thin GOP House caucus. AP
Mace has downplayed allegations that Jordan turned a blind eye while coaching wrestling at Ohio State University to sexual molestation and abuse of athletes by university doctors. Jordan has denied knowledge of the doctor’s activities.
Scalise edged Jordan 113-99 in the Republican closed conference vote on Wednesday, but was unable to lock down the 217 votes he may need to win the gavel.
Mace has displayed a penchant for eye-catching stunts during the speaker saga.
On Tuesday, he wore a T-shirt with a blood-red “A” emblazoned on it on his way to a speaker’s forum.
“I put on the scarlet letter after the week I had last week, being a woman here and being slandered because of my vote and my voice,” she told reporters, referencing Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel “The Scarlet Letter.”
Nancy Mace stood in front of reporters and TV cameras on Tuesday with a giant “A” on her T-shirt.AFP via Getty Images
Until the House elects a speaker, it cannot conduct other business.
The task before Republicans has been given urgency by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, dwindling funds for aid to Ukraine, and the partial government shutdown on November 17.
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