Amid Scalise Woes, Earnest Says Republican Leadership Says 'a Lot' About Values
White House press secretary Josh Earnest seeks to fan the controversy.
Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
President Barack Obama’s spokesman said Republicans standing behind Representative Stephen Scalise, who gave a speech 12 years ago to a white supremacist group, “says a lot about” the party’s values and priorities.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest sought to fan the controversy without giving an answer to a question about whether Scalise should remain as the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. House. He said today it was up to the Republican members to pick their leaders, and linked their choices to the national party committee’s attempts to lure minority voters.