WASHINGTON — The former U.S. senator believed to be President Barack Obama's leading choice for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, is apologizing for remarks he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship.

In a brief written statement issued Friday, the Republican said his comments about James C. Hormel were "insensitive" and did not reflect his views.

In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald in 1998, Hagel said he believed that for a U.S. ambassador, in his words, "it is an inhibiting factor to be gay." He went on to call Hormel "openly, aggressively gay."

Hagel apologized Friday to Hormel and to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Americans who may question his commitment to their civil rights.

Hagel says he supports "open service" and is committed to LGBT military families.

Comments ()

We are now using Facebook comments to offer a more inclusive, social and constructive discussion. Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the X in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.

This article filed under

Twitter Talk

Comments

Share Facebook Twitter
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Linkedin
- MySpace
- Delicious
- Reddit
- StumbleUpon
- Digg
- Google Bookmark
- Google Buzz
- Permalink
E-mail

Article sent to (required)
E-mail
Article sent from (required)
E-mail Name

Subject Line (article title)

Message (optional)

Success - Article sent Click to close
Order reprint

Interested in reusing this article?

Custom reprints are a powerful and strategic way to share your article with customers, employees and prospects.

The YGS Group provides digital and printed reprint services for Daily Herald. Complete the form to the right and a reprint consultant will contact you to discuss how you can reuse this article.

Need more information about reprints? Visit our Reprints Section for more details.

Contact information ( * required )
Name * Company Telephone * E-mail *
Article Information
Title URL
Message (optional)

Success - Reprint request sent Click to close
Print