Texas Speaker gives vague apology for 'hurtful' things said

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Texas House speaker is apologizing to lawmakers for "embarrassing" and "hurtful" things he said on a secretly-recorded conversation with a hardline conservative activist in a scandal that has rocked state Republicans.

First-term Speaker Dennis Bonnen sent an apology email Tuesday. It doesn't address anything specific that Bonnen said and it notably avoids mention of an alleged "hit list" of Republican lawmakers to target in the upcoming 2020 primary.

Activist Michael Quinn Sullivan has said he recorded his June meeting with Bonnen. Sullivan hasn't publicly released the recording, but he says it includes a Bonnen offer to give Sullivan's Empower Texans group media credentials if it would attack several Republican lawmakers in the primary.

Bonnen previously denied a target list of lawmakers, but didn't address it in Tuesday's note.