House Republican Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) is denying any knowledge of U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), a white nationalist, fundraising with antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who heads the America First PAC.
Former GOP Congressman Denver Riggleman posted a copy of the announcement to social media:
“I don’t know anything about that,” Scalise told reporters Tuesday when asked, The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis reports.
“That’s the first time I’m hearing about it,” Scalise added, CNN’s Manu Raju notes. “As you heard me in the past be very vocal against any form of white supremacy, so I’ll have to look into that.”
Scalise actually has a history of brushes with white supremacism. In 2002 he gave a speech to a group headed by former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. In 2014 he apologized, claiming he had no knowledge of the group’s white supremacism. At the time he allegedly described himself as being “like David Duke without the baggage.”
The Arizona Republic adds that in “a tweet Monday night, Gosar seemed to respond to his critics, saying, ‘Not sure why anyone is freaking out. I’ll say this: there are millions of Gen Z, Y and X conservatives. They believe in America First. They will not agree 100% on every issue. No group does. We will not let the left dictate our strategy, alliances and efforts. Ignore the left.'”
The Washington Post reports that “Gosar’s extremism, of course, is hardly limited to his ties to the America First PAC. He has lodged conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and claimed protester Ashli Babbitt was ‘executed‘ by police. He has done the same with Charlottesville, suggesting it was a false flag by the left. Gosar’s office even confirmed this week that the congressman was in regular contact with ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer Ali Alexander ahead of the Jan. 6 riot.”