COSTELLO: Congressman Michael Grimm is stepping down. This after the New York Republican pled guilty to a felony tax evasion charge last week. Grimm made headlines earlier in the year for threatening a reporter who asked him about an investigation into his campaign finances.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why haven't you declare (inaudible).</s>COSTELLO: Congressman Grimm says he will resign on January 5. To another House Republican in hot water this morning, majority whip Steve Scalise denying ties to a white supremacist organization but admitting he likely spoke to that group in 2002. Scalise reportedly addressed a group founded by former KKK leader David Duke when he served in the Louisiana State House. The congressman maintains he didn't know the group held racist views and says he detests all hate groups. CNN's Athena Jones is following that story from Washington. Good morning.</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. This is not the kind of headline the Republican Party Wants to see as they prepare to take control of this new Congress, but that's right. Representative Scalise says that he does not remember speaking before this group founded by David Duke back in 2002 but that he went all around the state speaking to any groups that would have him to talk about his opposition to a tax increase that would affect middle-class families and some other issues. So in an interview with the New Orleans "Times Picayune" he said he doesn't remember speaking there but if he did it was a mistake. He would haven't done so if he had known that this group, the name of which was European American Unity and Rights Organization, or EURO for short. He says that if he had known that this was a hate group, a group with white supremacist ties he would not have spoken before them -- Carol?</s>COSTELLO: All right. Athena Jones reporting live from Washington. Thanks so much. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, President Obama apologizing for what turned out to be a very unfortunate round of golf. It wasn't the score but the scheduling.
GOP Leader Spoke to White Supremacist Group