Former Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke might consider a run against Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), just a month after the third-ranking House Republican denied controversial allegations that he had spoken at Duke's white supremacist forum as a state legislator in 2002.
Duke, who was almost elected Louisiana's governor in 1991, is considering running against Scalise because the congressman had betrayed his constituents, he said during Wednesday's appearance on "The Jim Enright Show," first reported by BuzzFeed. Since the controversy, Scalise has been attempting to distance himself from the appearance he had made more than a decade ago, claiming that he had been unaware of the white nationalist group's views at the time.
Scalise is a "sellout" for saying his appearance at a meeting of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization in 2002 was a "mistake," Duke said, calling the 49-year-old to step down, CNN reported.
"It wasn't a Klan meeting. It wasn't any sort of a radical meeting, it was a meeting that said there were European-American rights, right? So he is a sellout, right? Because, you know, he can't meet with members of his own district who have opinions like I have, but he meets with radical blacks who have total opposite political positions than him," he added.
By having apologized for attending the conference, Scalise is "insulting" his constituents, a majority of which had allegedly voted for Duke when he ran for statewide office in Louisiana, Duke said.
Scalise had also reportedly described himself as "David Duke without the baggage" to a Louisiana reporter, according to The New York Times.
"He got elected on false pretenses," Duke said. "He got elected as David Duke without the baggage. But he's not David Duke. He's basically condemning the people of his district who voted overwhelmingly for me to be their U.S. senator and voted to be their governor.
"He's insulting every one of the members who actually voted for him, because he's suggesting that they're racist because they supported my views."
Even though Duke is not registered to vote in Louisiana, he "might just register" in order to run against the congressman, The Huffington Post reported.
"I just might have to run against Steve Scalise because you know - I really might. I mean, I'm definitely going to consider it because it's so disgusting to me to see ... he got elected on false pretenses," he said.
However since the scandal made headlines, Scalise has received support from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) even though the White House and congressional Democrats, including civil rights icon John Lewis, have criticized his actions.
