steve scalise has admitted this. if there are other factors that are involved he has to address them. at this moment, no he has proven himself to be a hardworking member of congress reaches out, work with his everyone. there's always rumors about this person, that person in congress. i've never heard anything bad about steve scalise until the story broke the other day and he's giving us his explanation. i believe we owe him the benefit of the doubt on this unless more comes out. >> let me ask you quickly about the broader question here. you have this controversy with congressman scalise and then you also have congressman grim stepping down as he faces serious legal troubles. this is not exactly the way we would think that republicans want to begin the new year as they get set to take over congress in 2015. does this harm the republican brand as they prepare to take over in congress? >> it's a short-term hit. michael grimm's district, we should elect a solid republican to that seat one we can be proud of. as far as st

so there is support then from the storm front crowd to steve scalise as he stood for congress. is there if i evidence that scalise responded to or in any way reflected that he might know about storm front's support and accepted? >> i'm not sure if he knew about storm front's support, but it is a little curious that ten days before the event, the organizers were concerned about protests and a minor league baseball team from iowa that was going to stay there actually sdwied not to stay at that same hotel. so the idea that he wasn't aware of who this group was seems a little ludicrous. >> and were there other people attending well-known to be activists in the white see supremacist cause? >> there was a man there who scalise should have known who he was about. >> and david duke has made some statements now affirming would you say that steve scalise was there and that they have had some contact? >> david duke claims his campaign manager was in close contact with steve ask a shlaesskacaliseka ask a shlaes ask a shlaes and confirmed that etd be there early on. >> and so at that time, t

kevin, let me ask you about speaker boehner standing behind his majority whip steve scalise.age leadership should be sending at a time when thisser so desperate to draw minority voters? we're talking about david duke white supremacy, a group called neuro -- to defend european heritage in the united states. >> i think the message that speaker boehner is trying to send has to do with steve scalise himself. steve scalise's argument was that he did not know about the nature of this this group of its agenda when he spoke to them and for everybody who knows steve scalise, and i think speaker boehner is one of those folks as well as somebody like cedric richmond an african-american democratic law maker from louisiana they are basically offering testimonials to steve scalise's character and integrity. folks who know him best folks who have worked with him whether they're republicans or democrats don't believe he would knowingly speak to a group that promotes intolerance. steve scalise is known as a uniter, a very tolerant person and who has worked very well with members across the ai

i testify in congress with steve scalise sub committee on the use of fema trailers and steve scalise okay guy. the issue is not about the fact he went to this david duke rally, for lack of a better term because that's basically what it is what it's about with the sony issue with all this hacking, you would be surprised all the stuff that comes out when we start delving into our politicians pockets and e-mails. >> all right. mark your center monitors groups like euro what kind of activities has this group been involved in in the last 20 years. >> truth is it hasn't been involved in a whole lot. it is simply duke's latest vehicle. earlier he was with the nights of the ku -- kkk and euro was his baby. at the time it was an important group in that the leading activists were the leading white supremacist in the united states. in recent years it has become nothing but a paper tiger, a device that is used to sell duke's books and his writings and that's really about what they do today. >> well david duke is jumping on the headlines threatening those in congress. in an interview with fusion

quote, state representative steve scalise said he embraces many of the same conservative views as duke but is far more viable. scalise said quote, duke has proven that he can't get elected and that's the first and most important thing. and that same year michelle scalise was one of just three louisiana lawmakers to vote against making martin luther king day a state holiday in louisiana. he voted against it again in 2004. so does scalise need to provide a fuller explanation for his past including voting against state holiday for martin luther king including he didn't attack david duke's apparent racism but that he just said i'm a more viable candidate than him, he can't win, i can win? i mean this starts to build up a little pattern here. >> i am certain that the democrats are going to come at him and want to have a little bit more explanation. i think what's going to save him is, we are talking about events that happened 12 13 14 years ago. to be honest louisiana back then that's not so far away from when david duke was a republican candidate for state-wide office. >> right. >> this is

somewhere steve scalise is saying stop talking about me. >> this speaks to a bigger issue than steve scalise for republicans. this speaks to the fact that republicans now control congress. they are looking toward 2016. they are trying to appeal to women. to minority voters. what does this do? how does this affect that? >> i think michael steele former rnc chairman said it best. it's two steps forward, three steps back. and this takes them three steps back if not more steps back. they may be moon walking at this point. it undermines this narrative they have been trying to push that we're getting better and more diverse. look at our upcoming stars. they are from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds. it really undermines the fact that this guy is in leadership. he's not just some random backbencher. that's problematic for them. >> what about the -- explain this to maybe a lot of people who don't know who steve scalise is why is he someone speaker boehner would want to keep in his position and maybe also can we just be honest maybe have done a favor for, right? >> scalise is a guy th

the fact that he's out there saying anything positive about steve scalise right now as scalise is tryingo get away as far away from this 2000 speech is not what they want to the be hearing. >> you said david duke said a lot of things you could not say could you characterize them? >> let's just say he really really doesn't like israel. and he made it clear he was glad kantor is no longer in house leadership. >> how on earth does israel come into play in a discussion about a louisiana congressman and i speech given in 2002? >> david duke was telling me that he believes that the only true racism supremist state is israel and that's where the attention should be focused right now on israel. >> incredible. it reminds me of a speech i read that he gave at the time where there is a full on attack on israel in that speech. but you know what happened there in 2002 where scalise speaks to this group, yet the cubs minor league baseball team was aware enough to decide that rather than stay at that hotel in louisiana they were going to go else where. so if a team in 2002 a minor league in 2002 could

they would love to have steve scalise be the second coming offed to aikenche todd to be the second todd aiken. it needs to do better. >> yesterday it was said would release a list of names -- >> could this be a warning? could this warning be a factor in gop leadership to embrace their number stlee three-pointthree. >> seriously don't threaten me you will release something just do it and then we'll deal with what you do. the reality is the party has to learn from these types of missteps. yes there's been association wz both sides of the oust that people like to distance themselves from. it's what you do now and going forward that matters the most. i disagree that this is going to be some black eye for the gop. if they take the right appropriate steps going forward to show that they are genuinely interested in making this party expansive and open to everyone who wants to be part of it. >> i was reading many of these articles wondering what african-american voters think of it. particularly 13% of the district is african-american. what do they think of the prominent member of the leadership

african-american democrat coming out in his defense making those key points as a surrogate for steve scalise been very important in managing his way through this issue. >> not everyone is supporting him. the chicago tribune called scalise to bow out of leadership and charles krauthammer on fox news. >> scalise wanted to make it easy for the party he would have stepped down from his own from leadership. nobody is demanding he leave the congress and his career is over. >> so what does scalise think of duke back then. in a 1999 interview with roll call, he embraces many of the conservative views as duke but scalise said this week he wholeheartedly condemns the duke group's views. >> there will continue to be additional questions as long as there's no information that contradicts steve scalise, i think it's very likely that he will hang on to his leadership position. >> when i spoke to one of congressman scalise's, i just don't think we ought to be playing gotcha here and that's what this is. he can completely understand how scalise can end up speaking before this group. as you know jake there a

. >>> plus the third highest ranking republican steve scalise said he likely spoke to a group of white supremacists. >>> president obama becomes the crasher in chief. >> congratulations on your wedding! i feel terrible! nobody told us. i hope the wedding went okay anyway. >> a golf outing forced two sold soldiers to move their hawaiian wedding. hear exclusively from the newlyweds. you can find the team on twitter. >>> going news now out of the city where odds are everything. there could be snow coming to las vegas. something few odds makers would have predicted. a storm moving across the west is likely to bring snow and freezing temperatures by the time the ball drops tomorrow night. gabe gutierrez is live in las vegas. if you are a betting man, what are the odds it's going to snow there? >> hey, ayman. good morning. we're expecting a couple of inches here. it's still a gamble whether the strip or how much the strip will see. sin city may be freezing over. a bit of a surreal moment a few moments ago it was an elvis impersonator that walked up next to us. he was bundled up. the strip is

they're calling on steve scalise to resign.s is not the way house republicans wanted to start the new year. >> absolutely not. you know republicans had a pretty good end to the year. they had historic gains in those 2014 mid term elections. the house majority will go in with the largest margety tymajority they've had since 1929. they managed to get a budget deal before they recessed. they're coming into the new year instead of the biggest majority we're going to get things done and governor. they have the shadow of the scandal over them. house speaker did one away with other possible cloud michael grimm who plead guilty to a felony count of tax evasion. he pledged to stay in congress. he's announced he's going to be stepping down. that's one headache resolved. this is going to take up a lot of oxygen going into the new year for the republican majority. >> i want to throw up a statement that was said by speaker boehner. i know steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. he has my full confidence as our whip and he'll

is a steve scalise out of the woods? >> he better hope that no tape or video emerges of the speech he gave. >> there is blood in the water right now. everyone is chasing the story. the left is after him and the far right wants them out as well. you have people like sean hannity who do not like this leadership state. they are using this as an excuse. they are seizing on this and trying to use it as an excuse to get rid of the whole house leadership. >> it is going to be -- this could be very difficult for steve scalise. this is our last show of the year and what a year it has been. we want to unveil our list of the winningest winners. and of the sorriest losers. i will give three in the winning category. my first win is mitch mcconnell. 30 years ago, his senate career began. even more impressive, this is a race he could have easily lost. his approval ratings were in the tank. he was facing a lot of democratic money into the race. instead he ran a flawless campaign. he sits atop the u.s. senate. >> he did not want to be pr

for steve scalise, i worked on capitol hill for many years, i was a communications director.a problem with him but unfortunately -- >> except for going to the kkk meetings he's a great guy. >> that's not fair marc he condemned it. >> i don't know steve and if i were guessing i'd say he's probably a great guy. i don't think he's a white supremacist. if he had said he is racist we would say a black guy said he's racist. we don't pay attention to when they say he's not a racist. republicans don't point to black people pointing out racism. i don't take the inverse but the bigger issue for me is he would make a decision to go there. i don't believe he didn't know. the question becomes what are you willing to concede in terms of ideology for votes for friends or social met york snetworks. >> i agree, both sides. >> i find that troublesome. the other thing steve scalise has to worry about is the fact a lot of republicans don't like nim anyway because of him not challenging obama on federal amnesty, on other executive actions. so people are looking for an excuse to push him out. >> t

and i do not see how steve scalise survives this.ir, or not, i don't believe steve scalise is a racist. i worked on capitol hill for several years as a communications director. the office i worked for we worked with him on issues. and seddrick richmond democrat from louisiana said i don't believe scalise has a racist bone in his body. i think that's probably true. what this does show though, it was probably poor judgment and yeah i think his explanation for it needs to be desired. and the statement he issued just now, that statement should have been issued yesterday. that level of emphasis. >> can we dissect that a little bit? i think, chris, between what he did just issue and certainly weigh in as well tara. what we were hearing from his staff before was that he didn't know. and you're sort of explaining you're giving context to okay if he's saying he didn't know he sure should've known. i mean this was a group that people know about at this time in louisiana. that statement that was just put out that we just read as it came out, it

steve scalise is well-liked in the party.ut can they carry that heavy baggage associated with david duke as they try to rebrand and reform the party? as news comes out that he voted against making martin luther king day a holiday in 2004, two decades after ronald reagan made it a federal holiday. these are questions that will cause greater scrutiny. a lot more reporting is being done -- >> guys, in fairness, he's not said he didn't know who david duke is. he said he's met him on several occasions. he's saying he didn't know this group was associated with david duke. and today there was an interesting interview that came out in "the washington post" not too long ago that said that the guy who organized it, david duke was living outside of the united states back then. the guy who organized it, kenny white, who was a political operative in louisiana and was scalise's neighbor, asked him to come to this. he spoke before the conference started. and he said he never told scalise what this was about. he just asked him to say a few w

wyatt andrews reports. >> reporter: steve scalise is the house ma majority w.h.i.p. the third highest ranking republican. but in may 2002 his office confirms that scalise spoke to the white supremacist group called euro. and whose president was david duke the former lead of the ku klux klan. according to a statement from his office scalise has never been affiliated with the abhorrent group. and slush funds that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and his opposition to a proposed tax increase. in louisiana political circles scalise is known as a prolific speaker but the euro group's affiliation with david duke and its anti-minority issues are well-known in 2002. scalise's office insists he had no idea he was speaking to a david duke group and would not have gone to that speech had he known. but in a group reaching out to minorities this year that could hurt. >>> the release of an autopsy that killed by los angeles police is sparking new protests. demonstrators locked arms on a freeway monday. as john blackstone reports they're upset about the death of an unarmed man at

>> i know steve scalise. when i was mayor in new orleans, he was part of the delegation.ust. everything david duke >>> he is a purveyor a promoter of hate racial hate anti-semitic hate religious bigotry across the line. so i was shocked and surprised because the steve scalise i know is a conservative person. but also a person with whom i never had a difficult time having a conversation with. now, in this case brianna, i'm going to reserve judgment on what should happen because i want to have a conversation not only with steve scalise, but with the republican leadership. they have not been open to conversations in the past and now is an opportune time to have the conversation. so what should we discuss? number one, there are other members of congress with whom this organization is has had a relationship that needs to be more transparent and come to light. number two, is there a strong commitment to condemn these types of hate groups and hate speech as a part of the political parlance in this country. and these are the things we have to have. >> that is a very important con

the majority whip steve scalise, number three, apologised tuesday for a 2002 speech to a white soup rem sift group. he still has his support. >> it it took a call to get john boehner to resign after pleading guilty to felony tax charges. he had insisted he would stay on. >> for more on that i'm joined from los angeles by bill schneider at the think tank third way and an al jazeera contributor, with me were miami, political correspondent michael shure. let's get into it. representative scalisa traced a group, the european community and rights association. euro. it was a group funded by ku klux klan. he said it was a mistake he regrets adding: speaker boehner released a statement saying: michael, listen politicians always look for money, they look for votes, they go to all the organizations and groups. is this really a big deal. i mean this was in 2002 a long time ago. >> it was a long time ago. it was a long time after america, and certainly everyone in louisiana knew who david duke was and what he was about. it was a bit disingenuous for scalise to say that he didn't know the group that

. >> it is going to be -- this could be very difficult for steve scalise. this is our last show of the year and what a year it has been. we want to unveil our list of the winningest winners. i will give three in the winning category. my first win is mitch mcconnell. 30 years ago houston and to -- his senate career began. even more impressive this is a race he could have easily lost. his approval ratings were in the tank. a lot of people thought -- he ran a flawless campaign. he sits atop the u.s. senate. >> he did not want to be president, he wanted to be senate majority leader. my first winter is the. keep -- is the. he brokered the u.s.-cuba deal. he declared the internet is a gift from god. the first pope 2-1 rolling stones magazine. -- to appear on rolling stones magazine. >> another good year for the pope no doubt about that. number two for me jack ma. i met this guy 10 years ago in china and i thought he seemed goofy and delusional. alibaba, $4 billion a year in profit, used by a third of the chinese people. in september, he had the biggest ipo in the

steve scalise. winton yates talked with the congressman about the controversy. >> reporter: gop leader steve scalise addressed a known while supremacist group in 2002. he spoke at the landmark hotel to the european american rights organization founded by the former ku klux klan grand wizard, david duke. it was first reported by blogger lamar white who posted that the speech took place at an all day training workshop decide to teach the most effective and up-to-date methods of civil rights and heritage-related activism. he responded saying during this time he was travelling the state in opposition of the stel ly plan. >> i would talk about my plans to oppose the stelly plan and eliminating slush funds. i spoke to groups. i'm not familiar with who that group was but from what i've seen, they don't represent the values i represent. >> reporter: he leaned on what he says was a record of working across the aisle. >> i work with people of all races and colors and try to help people, whether they voted for

house majority whip steve scalise admitting he spoke to a white supremacist group back in 2002.the congressman didn't know the makeup of the group he was speaking to. here's what he told a newspaper in new orleans. quote, i detest any kind of hate group. for anyone to suggest that i was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous. athena jones is in washington. we'll start with michael grimm. it's an about-face from the new york congressman. why the change of heart for him? >> reporter: it comes less than a week after entering that guilty plea. he insisted he would stay on even after pleading guilty. but this decision was announced last night after congressman grimm had a conversation with house speaker john boehner. that could have something to do with this. the republicans would like to have a clean slate as they prepare to take over in this new congress. this is possibly one less headache for them. >> speaking of headaches, let's discuss the case of steve scalise, third-ranking member of the house, said to have spoken before a white supremacist group back in 20

scalise was also helped by a democrat congressman cedric richmond, a new orleans political rival. >> i don't view steve as having racial challenges at all. >> reporter: but other democrats were not as forgiving. minority leader nancy pelosi called the speech deeply troubling for a top republican leader. and many are questioning scalise's claim he knew nothing about uero marg potok is with the southern poverty law center. >> it was not an obscure group in the least. its leader was internationally famous. so i just think the idea that he walked into this event with no idea what was going on is very, very hard to swallow on its surface. >> reporter: but what saved congressman scalise is his actual record here on capitol hill where he has no pattern of racist thoughts or behavior. norah, that allowed speaker boehner to see this as a mistake made 12 years ago and not as a big political scandal that could hurt republicans when they take over here next monday. >> o'donnell: all right, wyatt andrews, thank you. tonight, a blast of cold arctic air is pushing part of the country into a deep freeze. icy highways

. >> reporter: today steve scalise is the house majority whip, third highest ranking republican. but in may ofo, two his office confirms that scalise when serving in the louisiana legislature spoke to a convention of the white supremacist group called euro, a group devoted to what it called white civil rights and whose president was david duke the former leader of the ku klux klan. according to a statement from his office, scalise ha has never been affiliated with the abhorrent group in question. in 2002, it says scalise was speaking to hundreds of different groups on state issues including slush funds that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, and his opposition to a proposed tax increase. in louisiana's political circles, scalise is known as a prolific speaker but the euro group's affiliation with david duke and anti-jewish anti-minority messages were promoted and well known in 2002. scalise's office says he had no idea he was speaking to a david duke group and wouldn't have gone if he had known. for a republican party reaching out to minorities this year, this could hurt. >> o'

. >>> house republicans are standing by majority whip steve scalise after he admitted to speaking to a white supremacy group in 2002. speaker john boehner saying quote, more than a decade ago representative scalise made an error in judgment. he has my full confidence as our whip and he will continue to do great and important work for all americans. the man who led the former ku klux klan say this, quote, if scalise is going to be crucified, if republicans want to throw steve scalise to the wolves, they better watch their back. this is a pretty stunning development to hear somebody threaten the gop like this who is conceivably a pariah to begin with. >> it's a stunning development. it's amazing we have found ourselves in this situation where 48 hours if not more david duke has been given this megaphone by the media for these sorts of things. you should probably take it with a grape of salt because what could david duke necessarily do to the gop. i would not cause him an influential person within the party, but that describes how volatile the situation is and how difficult it is for th

. >>> steve scalise said the 2002 speech to a white supremacist group called euro was a mistake he represents. he didn't know the group was an anti-semitic organization formed by david duke. >> i just detest hate groups of any kind. >> john boehner called the appearance an error in judgment but scalise has his full confidence. >>> the cdc says this season's flu has become an epidemic. 15 children across the country have died. the cdc earlier warned this year's flu season could be a severe one. the dominant strain of the virus is associated with hard-hitting flu seasons. >>> well much of the country will need to bundle up as it rings in the new year. wisconsin and parts of the upper midwest are in the grip of a brutal cold. >>> in southern california snow surprised families traveling over the grapevine and bands warming up for the rose parade will face record lows tomorrow. meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station wbz has the chilly holiday forecast. >> well, winter disappeared for a little while, but it's back with a vengeance. denver setting a record low last night and we're looking a

congressman steve scalise of louisiana, the third ranking republican in the house, claims he did not know what the group stood for when he spoke at their gathering in 2002. it's only coming to light now after a blogger dug up old postings online. separately another republican, new york congressman michael grimm announced he is resigning. this after grimm pleaded guilty a week ago to felony tax evasion. grimm had won re-election in november when the case was pending against him. >>> some encouraging news tonight from the american cancer society. a new report says there's been a 22% drop in the death rate from cancer over the past two decades, which means 1.5 million cancer deaths have been averted over that time. the report credits fewer americans smoking as well as medical advancements, but it also says we'll see over 1.6 million new cancer cases in the new year and close to 600,000 deaths. >>> an alarming report starkly lays out the dangers faced day in and day out by those responsible for serving and protecting us. it shows an enormous jump from last year in the number of police ki

it is important that the facts as we know them right now are on steve scalise's side.said he didn't know about the group and he was talking about a tax issue and was not endorsing the organization's platform. and i think if you look at the people who have testified to steve scalise's character and integrity, most noticeably as athena pointed out, cedrick richmond who is an african-american democrat. i think those facts stacked against some of the accusations or insinuations or speculation, i think we have to take him at his word. >> you worked for house speaker john boehner. >> and i disagree. >> you did. and jump in here before i read the statement. you disagree about whether or not -- >> well i think all of the facts matter. and i think kevin is right, we have to look at the full body of evidence not one thing or the other. i think it is the opposite. i don't think it is our job to take him at his word it is our job to see if they are true white or black. and there was a considerable amount of evidence or news buzz about this convention. there was a little league tea

from msnbc.com, steve scalise speaking at supremacist event, quote, a mistake i regret. now that the house minority whip has admitted he attended the 2002 event organized by former kkk grand wizard david duke while he was a state legislator. other republicans are backing him up. house speaker john boehner said in a statement that scalise is a man of high integrity and character, but that he made a, quote, error in judgment. >>> a former senator and 2008 presidential candidate is now the ceo of a marijuana company. alaska democrat mike gruvel will lead kush which produces recreational and medicinal weed products. >>> the president's popularity is creeping back up. a new gallup poll reveals as many people approve of the job he's doing as disapprove, 48%. the last time that happened, september 2013. >>> the president is well into his second week of vacation in hawaii and golf appears to be occupying most of his time. the president hit this approach chip shot before tapping in a gimme par putt. he revealed he shot an 84 in a previous outing that forced a wedding of two army

to steve scalise getting heated. when he returned next week.gn committee has a new statement. they say he choice to cheer lead for duke? >> you have one democratic congress coming out and being supportive. while david duke depends scalise speaker john boehner and leader mccarthy are refusing to condemn his choice of allies. republicans might talk about improving their terrible standing with nonwhite voters but it's clear their -- so tom tough words there from the dccc. >> it happened in 2002. it's sure i'm local media press there was. there has to be something was he there? let's get something specific. something tangible so we can guide ourselves through this. >> i think this did happen awhile ago. i think, you know, you have to remember david duke was a well known figure in louisiana politics at the time. the congressman scalise is not saying he didn't know david duke but rather he wasn't aware of exactly what the group was. i think at this point, the question is going to be does it hold up in the long run or more evidence going to come out h

steve scalise spoke.didn't know the kkk was involved even though duke's ties to the group will be well publicized. the controversy comes days before the gop will take over the congress and scali. seven. becomes the house majority whip. >> taney dragons star mo'ne davis named the associated press 2014 female athlete of the year. the 13-year-old is the youngest winner ever and davis says baseball isn't even her best sport. she is in eighth grade and plays on her high school's varsity basketball team. >> it is 5:48 and a philadelphia charter school's financial crisis leaves parents scrambling to try to find an alternative for their children. >> we'll take a look at the damage across the south. matt. >> or david. >> chilly one today, matt. 39 trees is your high. that is below average and the first time in quite awhile we've seen below average temperatures. i'll be back with your day planner forecast and also give you morning numbers in details across the entire region. that's just ahead. >> ♪♪ . >> residents

congress acknowledges he once addressed a gathering of white supremacists, house majority whip steve scalise of louisiana. he served in the louisiana state legislature when he appeared at a convention of the european unity and rights organization. the group was founded by former klan leader david duke. scalise spoke only to rally support for his conservative fiscal policies and the statement goes on to call the group abhorrent with views in stark contradiction to the views that scalise holds himself. >>> d.c. mayor gray says the city is better off after his four years in office. >> in one of his final interviews as mayor with our bruce johnson, mayor gray confirms he turned down a plea offer from the u.s. district attorney who is investigating corruption from mayor gray's campaign in 2010. >> reporter: what are you most proud of? >> i'm proud of where the city is. we've created 44,000 jobs since i've been in office. the condition of this city today in my opinion is markedly better than four years ago. >> reporter: you put money back in the bank that had been taken out? >> that's right. we ha

the number three republican in the house, steve scalise of louisiana, has been in his postfor just six months. >>> want to thank my colleagues and my constituents. >> reporter: but now, he's been forced to apologize for speaking at a 2002 gathering of white supremacy leaders. calling it a mistake to appear before a group founded by david duke, a former grand wizard of the knights of the ku klux klan. he says he wasn't aware of the group's views. in a statement, he added, "i emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold." speaker john boehner called it an error in judgement, but said scalise "has my full confidence." it wasn't the only political fire republicans were scrambling to extinguish. new york congressman michael grimm finally agreed to step down, a week after pleading guilty to felony tax evasion. he repeatedly insisted he would stay in office. >> as long as i'm able to serve, i'm going to serve. sn't accepting possibility mean resigning? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: but party leaders tell abc news they grew tired of the congressman landi

meantime representative steve scalise.lash after it was revealed that he spoke before a white supremicist group in 2002. >> these are not the type of headlines the republican party wants to see as their, as they prepare to take over congress. but that's right, as you mentioned, representative grimm will be stepping down. he says on january 5th. he had at first rejected pleas to step down after he entered the guilty plea last week. now it looks like he's heading out january 5th. now representative steve scalise has a different issue, this issue of him speaking before a white supremicist group in 2002. the european american rights association. founded by david duke the former grand wizard of the klu klux klan and an avowed long-time knee i don't nazi. scalise's group said he didn't know it was a white supremicist group. he said i detest any hate group and the idea that i could be involved with one of them is insuting and ludicrous. one of the issues is that david duke was well known as a white supremicist and steve scalise i

. >> when steve scalise spoke back then he said he would go to anyone who called. is that a good enough explanation to get him through this? >> well his explanation is he as not a high ranking house member as he is now. he didn't have a lot of staff. and he says he wouk speak to anybody who invited him. w the the original founder of the organization he addressed was very well known at the time. another thing appears to be going against scalise is there were local news reports of other organizations w were scheduled to stay at the same hotel where who got wind of what was going on and decided to stay elsewhere. those are questions where the how did you not know? he says look i showed up where i was asked to go. >> i want to move forward and find out, is there going to be a ripple effect from this? on a broader scale. the republicans are looking to revamp their image. is there going to be backlash? >> this is a headache for scalise and republicans as a whole. thal really wanted to go into the the new congress with a clean slate. this story is taking up a lot of oxyge

steve scalise was a state lawmaker. the european unity and rights organization. founded by exku klux klan leader david duke, it's considered an extremist group by the sovereign poverty law center. a user says scalise criticized graft within the housing and urban development fund as an apparent giveaway to a selective group based on race. scalise denied knowing what it stood for when he gave the speech. robert costa said in 2002 david duke was a well known figure in louisiana politics. >> this was a major event in louisiana at the time. it was in new orleans. it was a gathering of white supremacists and neo nazis. scalise says he was not aware, but it seems everyone else was quite knowledgeable. >> in a statement, scalise's office says he was never affiliated with the the group in question. when duke was mulling a run for congress the same poster wrote, i suppose if duke does not make the election for whatever reason scalise would be a good option. >> house speaker john boehner has a decision to make. he's trying to set the tone for his new congress. but he knows i

the person in question here is steve alaska steve scalise, the third-highest ranking republican inngresshe spoke before a group that was started by a neo-nazi david duke down in louisiana. now his office is saying, and he was saying when he spoke to the group he did not realize what their views were. did not realize how objectionable they were. he said he has never been affiliated with the abhorrent group in question. the hate-fueled ignorance is in stark contradiction to what mr. scalise believes. it's to be seen if that's good enough. we have reached out to john boehner on this no comment yet. >> can he keep his place as the number three in the house of representatives. this is not the only breaking story with the republican party. michael grimm is going to resign after pleading guilty to tax evasion. can you tell us about that? >> reporter: soon to be former congressman grimm is more likely to be in prison than congress. this is the guy who threatened to throw a reporter off a balcony earlier this year. he it looks like will not be coming back to congress. >> he vowed he will not resi

steve scalise of louisiana admitted to speaking to white supremacy leaders more than a decade ago. he is serving in the louisiana legislature when he says he appeared in a 2002 convention for the european american unity and rights organization. that group was founded by the former ku klux klan leader and has been classified as a hate group. skill he said he was unaware of the groups views. meanwhile, another high-profile republican congressman who was caught on camera threatening a reporter is resigning. new york representative michael grimm pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges last week. at first he vowed to stay in congress, but today said he is stepping down effective january 5. speaker john boehner applauded that decision. >> new research shows americans are slipping in their sense of civic duty. a poll compared results with a survey done three decades ago. his time around, fewer people said that serving on a jury reporting a crime, knowing english and staying informed on public issues were important to them. only voting and volunteering were found to be of the same importance

katie kurtur. >>> to the continuing fallout for steve scalise.o questions outside his home yesterday. released a statement admitting this saying he did speak to a white supremacist group twelve years ago. no video surfaced of that event. scalise's statement in part saying it was a mistake i regret. speaker boehner and mccarthy are rallying behind scalise. boehner calling the speech an error in judgment but saying he has his full confidence as house whip. carrie dan joins us now. damage control, damage control. has he done enough? >> well, i think right now what you're seeing house speaker john boehner. it was not a wishy washy statement. speaker boehner said he has high confidence. he's a man of high integrity. you have statement reports from others like kevin mccarthy. house democratic leader nancy pelosi a statement from a spokesman that criticized the party overall but didn't call for scalise oust per. he appears to be in an okay position. the thing going forward when congress comes back next week if we see continued fallout from this and cont