Steve Scalise, the congressman who was shot Wednesday morning during a GOP baseball practice in Virginia, is a long-serving lawmaker who once had to defend himself against allegations that he spoke at an event organized by a group linked to infamous KKK leader David Duke.

Scalise said in 2014 he didn’t remember appearing at the white supremacist group European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO) conference in 2002 and denied supporting the group, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

“I didn’t know who all of these groups were and I detest any kind of hate group. For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous,” Scalise had said.

Scalise, 51, the House Majority Whip has served as the No. 3 Republican in the House for about three years and represents the 1st District of Louisiana.

He was first elected to Congress in 2008 after serving in the Louisiana State Senate for four months and 12 years in the state’s House of Representatives.

As whip, he’s tasked with making sure there are enough votes to push Republican-backed legislation and was a key player in the repeal of Obamacare.

An avid baseball fan, Scalise has played on the congressional team since he started in Congress, CNN reported. His office features pictures from games from previous years.

Scalise and his wife Jennifer have two children. He was a computer systems engineer before making the move to politics.

Scalise was shot in the hip and was undergoing surgery Wednesday at a DC area hospital, according to a statement from his office.

He was said to be in good spirits.