Nikki Haley acknowledges Civil War ‘about slavery’ after facing backlash

Nikki Haley on Thursday acknowledged the Civil War was “about slavery,” after facing swift criticism for making no mention of it when asked about the cause of the conflict at a town hall.

“Of course the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That’s the easy part of it,” the Republican presidential candidate said on “The Pulse of NH,” a local radio show.

The comments came the day after Haley did not bring up slavery under questioning from an attendee at an evening town hall event in Berlin, N.H. Scholars agree slavery was the main driver of the Civil War. But Haley, a former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor who has risen in the polls recently, did not raise it in a lengthy exchange that garnered widespread attention and criticism.