Longtime Adviser To David Duke Donated To Steve Scalise

White Hate Leader Donated To Scalise
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A longtime adviser to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke donated money to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Federal Election Commission records show.

The Daily Beast pointed out Wednesday that Kenny Knight gave Scalise $1,000 in 2008.

Scalise came under fire this week after it was reported he spoke at a 2002 conference hosted by the white supremacist group European-American Unity and Rights Organization. The Washington Post reported Knight was one of the people who invited Scalise to speak at the event. Scalise said he "didn't know" the details of the groups attending the conference and called accusations of connections to the white supremacist group "insulting and ludicrous."

Scalise has struggled this week to distance himself from Duke, who said the congressman is "a fine family man" with whom he often agrees.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) both backed Scalise on Tuesday, calling him "a friend" and "a man of high integrity and good character."

"More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate," Boehner said in a statement.

This post has been updated.

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