Just as the media and liberal pundits came off their high of trying to smear House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), as they attempted to tie Scalise to neo-Nazi David Duke, they are at it again with another charge of racism.

Yesterday, The Hill reported that back in 1996, Scalise voted against a resolution to formally apologize for slavery to African-Americans. Sounds a little racist, right?

Not exactly.

Though Scalise did not vote for the formal apology, he later voted in favor a resolution that formalized “regret” for slavery ever happening. There is a difference between apologizing and regretting something.

And Scalise made an excellent point at the time as to why he would not apologize for slavery, saying “Why are you asking me to apologize for something I didn’t do and had no part of? I am not going to apologize for what somebody else did.”

Truthful to Scalise’s ‘personal responsibility’ thinking, he made a point to refuse to apologize for a despicable crime he was not guilty of. However, by voting to “regret” slavery, Scalise was saying that he has remorse that the sickening human rights violations ever occurred, but he is not taking responsibility for it happening.

To ask Scalise and other congressman to apologize for slavery, would be like asking every President of the United States to apologize for Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Or asking that every New York City police officer apologize for what a group of cops did to Eric Garner. Or asking every NBA coach to apologize for Donald Sterling’s racism.

But, why should individuals who are not guilty of awful crimes apologize for those crimes happening? We have remorse that the crimes happened, but no one is going to apologize for a murder that they did not commit.

Scalise’s family did not fight for the confederacy, nor were they slave-owners. Therefore, asking him or any other modern-day elected official to apologize for the racist and abominable actions of individuals in the past only puts the blame on individuals who are not guilty of a crime, and disregards the actual perpetrators.