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Washington [Update: This story was updated at 2:30 ET to include new statements from Rep. Steve Scalise and House Speaker John Boehner.]

No sooner had House Speaker John Boehner dispensed with one problem congressman admitted tax evader Michael Grimm (R) of New York, who is resigning his seat when another one reared his head. And this situation could be harder to resolve.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R) of Louisiana, the House majority whip and the No. 3 House Republican, has acknowledgedthat he spoke to a white supremacist group in 2002, when he was a member of the Louisiana legislature, according to The Washington Post.

But Congressman Scalise says he didnt know at the time that the organization had troubling connections. The group, called the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, or EURO, was founded by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. Mr. Duke, a former Louisiana state representative and gubernatorial candidate, was nationally known as a white nationalist, but Scalises associates say he wasnt aware of the groups link to Duke.

For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous, Scalise told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Monday night.

On Tuesday, he issued an additional statement, calling his decision to speak to the group "a mistake.

"Twelve years ago, I spoke to many different Louisiana groups as a state representative, trying to build support for legislation that focused on cutting wasteful state spending, eliminating government corruption, and stopping tax hikes, Scalise said. "One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold.

Speaker Boehner also released a statement Tuesday in support of Scalise.

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. Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans.

Louisiana-based political blogger Lamar White Jr. first brought the story to light, after finding posts on the white nationalist website Stormfront.

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Top Republican Steve Scalise sweats over 2002 speech to white supremacists

Third-ranking U.S. House Republican Steve Scalise said his 2002 speech to a white supremacy group was a mistake I regret, and House Speaker John Boehner said he continues to support the Louisiana Republican.

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 an e-mailed statement today. I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our whip.

Scalise said he rejects the hateful bigotry of the group he addressed 12 years ago, the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, founded by David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold, Scalise said.

Elected by House Republicans this year to his leadership spot, the congressman is facing a controversy over his appearance at an event in Metairie, Louisiana, while he was a state lawmaker. As the House majority whip, Scalise counts votes for legislation, helps devise strategy and works to build support for Republican initiatives.

Scalise said he spoke to many groups as a state representative in his efforts to cut wasteful government spending and stop tax increases.

One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, he said in the statement.

The second-ranking House Republican, Kevin McCarthy of California, also released a statement supporting Scalise.

Ive known him as a friend for many years and I know that he does not share the beliefs of that organization, McCarthy said.

Scalise was quoted yesterday by NOLA.com/Times-Picayune as saying he didnt realize what views the organization held.

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House Republican Scalise Says No Link to White Supremacy Group

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Jeb Bush is the leader of the Republican pack in a new poll, with support from 23 percent of respondents, 10 points ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The CNN/ORC poll was conducted after Bush announced he is "actively exploring" a run for president in 2016. Bush, who has not held elective office since he stepped down as governor of Florida in 2007, also quit his position as an adviser to Barclay's Bank and gave up paid speaking engagements, suggesting he is serious about running.

All candidates other than Bush and Christie, now in his second term as governor of New Jersey, lost support from previous polls. With 13 percent of respondents backing Christie, only 7 percent said they would vote for Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who has never run for office. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee were tied at 6 percent .

In a November CNN poll, Bush was the leader with 14 percent support, followed by Carson with 11 and Christie and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., tied at 9 percent. The most recent poll is the first in which a Republican candidate has had a lead larger than the poll's margin of error.

More than two-thirds, 69 percent of respondents, said their main concern is a candidate who can win. Only 29 percent said ideological agreement is more important.

Larry Sabato, a political analyst who teaches at the University of Virginia, analyzed the presidential fields of both parties Dec. 18 in his blog, "Sabato's Crystal Ball." At the time, his "first tier" was empty on the Republican side with Bush, Christie, Paul and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the second tier.

"If you think there's a GOP frontrunner, then you are probably a staffer or family member of one of the candidates," Sabato wrote. "Until one or more contenders can break a paltry 20 percent or 25 percent in the polls, this tier will be akin to the vacuum in outer space."

That suggests Bush may become the frontrunner in Sabato's next look at the field.

"Bush has to be taken very seriously as a candidate, and we suspect that if he does in fact follow through on a campaign, other potential candidates such as Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, and perhaps many others from the mainstream of the party ... will defer to another member of the First Family of the Republican Party," Sabato said. "That said, Bush may not be able to overcome his surname baggage and the aggressive dislike of much of the Tea Party."

On the Democratic side, Sabato referred to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the "Anointed One." She had the support of two-thirds of respondents to the CNN poll with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts far behind in second place with 9 percent.

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Jeb Bush emerges as leader of the Republican pack in new poll

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WASHINGTON -- House Majority Whip Republican Rep. Steve Scalise spoke at a white supremacist conference in 2002, according to postings on a message board at that time that were discovered by a Louisiana blogger this month. The event was organized by famed KKK leader David Duke, who at the time had made a failed bid for governor, but remained a prominent politician in the state of Louisiana.

Scalises office didnt respond to multiple requests for comments about the speech. A spokesman for the Louisiana congressmantold POLITICO that they did not know whether he had addressed the group.

He has never been affiliated with the abhorrent group in question, his office told POLITICO. The hate-fueled ignorance and intolerance that group projects is in stark contradiction to what Mr. Scalise believes and practices as a father, a husband, and a devoted Catholic.

A user on a message forum called Stormfront, which describes itself as a White Pride World Wide, posted in 2002 that Scalise had been a speaker at a conference of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center named the organization a hate group. The group was founded by Duke, the former Louisiana congressman who was known for trying to transform the KKK from an organization known for white robes and hoods to one where the members wore ties and ran for office. Requests to Duketo confirm whether Scalise spoke through his website were not answered.

The user, who posted under the name Alsace Hebert wrote that Scalise, then a state representative in Louisiana, had addressed the conference. The poster, "Alsace Hebert," wrote thousands of posts on the message board.

The meeting was productive locally as State Representative, Steve Scalise, discussed ways to oversee gross mismanagement of tax revenue or slush funds that have little or no accountability, the user wrote in an entry dated May 21, 2002. Representative Scalise brought into sharp focus the dire circumstances pervasive in many important, under-funded needs of the community at the expense of graft within the Housing and Urban Development Fund, an apparent give-away to a selective group based on race.

The message board has archives dating back to 2001 and is still in use today. The same user, who has not posted on the site since 2009, wrote in another post on Feb. 2, 2004 that he would be encouraged to see Scalise run for Congress.

It was just announced that Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, will enter the race in the 1st Congressional District, the post stated. Those that attended the EURO conference in New Orleans will recall that Scalise was a speaker, offering his support for issues that are of concern to us.

The conference was held at a hotel in Metairie, La., which is part of Scalise's district. Organizers and attendees on the Stormfront message board described it as an opportunity to discuss issues that are facing pro-white groups.

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La. Republican Mentioned in White Supremacist Message Board

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- House Republican leadership is standing by Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 3-ranking House Republican, in the wake of a firestorm of criticism surrounding his 2002 speech to a white supremacist group.

Scalise's position as House majority whip has been thrown into doubt by the revelation, and the congressman had been calling members to gauge the level of support he had from his party, according to a senior House Republican source.

But House Speaker John Boehner, in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, said Scalise has his "full confidence" as whip.

"More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate. Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our Whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans," he said.

His message came shortly before a similar message of support from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The controversy surrounding Scalise's address to a group founded by former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke had become a major distraction for Boehner and his leadership team since the story drew national attention on Monday.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Scalise said he spoke to the group while he was barnstorming the district to build support for a piece of legislation and that speaking to them was a "mistake I regret."

"One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold," he said in the statement.

"I am very disappointed that anyone would try to infer otherwise for political gain," he added, and decried the group's "hateful bigotry."

Link:
Scalise whips up GOP support