On Politics

Thu Dec 28 2023

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hi OnPolitics readers! Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley tried to walk back comments today after she faced criticism over a question about the Civil War.

What did Nikki Haley say? Haley was asked what caused the Civil War by an attendee at a Berlin, New Hampshire, town hall on Wednesday night. She failed to mention slavery as a cause.

"I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how the government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn't do," Haley answered at the event. She tried to turn the question back to the attendee, who said he would rather hear her answer, USA TODAY's Savannah Kuchar reports.

'Of course the Civil War was about slavery': The former United Nations ambassador on Thursday said in a local radio interview that the Civil War was caused by slavery, adding "What I was saying was, what does it mean to us today? What it means to us today is about freedom."

But Haley also pointed blame at the man behind the question, accusing him of working for the opposing major political party. The former governor alleged the man was a Democratic "plant" during the interview.

USA TODAY has not independently verified the questioner's identity.