Top GOP rep stumbles when asked for proof 'diversity' is to blame for NOLA terror attack

03 January

Editor's Note: This headline has been updated.

After New Orleans suffered a deadly early morning terrorist attack on New Year's Day 2025, President-elect Donald Trump and his allies were quick to point the finger at Democratic and liberal policies.

Trump claimed that reported attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar was an immigrant, blaming President Joe Biden's immigration policies. But in fact, Jabbar — reportedly a supporter of ISIS (Islamic State, Iraq and Syria) — was a native of Beaumont, Texas and lifelong U.S. citizen who lived in Houston. And Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) is blaming DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) for the attack.

During an appearance on New Orleans talk radio station WWL, Scalise told host Tommy Tucker, "Some of these agencies have gotten so wrapped up in the DEI movement — call it wokeness, call it whatever you want — where their main focus is on diversity and inclusion as opposed to security. And they're two very different things. We've got to get back to that core mission.'

Scalise went on to claim that DEI in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies is endangering national security.

"And this has happened in the DoD as well,” Scalise told Tucker. "We have pointed that out in DoD; we've pointed it out in Homeland, we've pointed it out in the FBI. If nothing else, let's get back to these agencies focused on keeping America safe, period."

But when Tucker asked the Louisiana Republican if he had "any proof that diversity, equity, and inclusion contributed to missing" the attacker or if he was "just speculating," he didn't cite any actual evidence to back up his claim.

Scalise told Tucker, "I mean, each agency has a mission, Tommy, and when you move away from your main mission — Homeland Security, I'll start there. Their mission is to keep Americans safe in our homeland, and they have started to move away from that. And we have pointed that out for years now."

Scalise continued, "At some point, if you're moving away from that mission, then you’re missing out on what you're supposed to be doing. And that's when things get missed.”

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