WASHINGTON -- Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said Saturday that his controversial comments about the Aurora, Colo., shootings were "grossly taken out of context" and apologized to those whom he may have offended.
(Listen to Gohmert's initial remarks above)
Gohmert raised some eyebrows when, hours after a gunman shot dozens of people in a movie theater early Friday, he suggested to radio show host Ernie Istook that the attack was a result of "ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs." Gohmert also wondered aloud why nobody else in the theater had a gun to take down the shooter. Gohmert was widely criticized for his remarks, most notably by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called the Texas lawmaker "nonsensical."
Gohmert sought to defend himself over the weekend.
"Some of my comments in an interview with Ernie Istook on his Heritage Foundation radio show have been grossly taken out of context," he said in a statement.
"Ernie is a good friend and former Congressman who asked for the interview long before the horror in Colorado. I had promised him a 10 minute interview and the topic scheduled for discussion was to be the economy and the President’s comments about it," Gohmert said. "Instead of the prearranged interview, Ernie asked me about the shooting in Colorado mentioning a Washington Post column that already brought up the issue of gun control, as well as, asking about my own personal experience as a judge with years on the bench. Tragedies immediately become personal, and I thought about our shooting in Tyler and what a hero Mark Wilson was along with another prior shooting in Texas."
Wilson was a Tyler, Texas resident who was killed in 2005 after shooting a gunman who began firing outside of a local court house. The gunman had attempted to kill Wilson's wife and son, among others, and Wilson died.
"As a father, my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in this heartless attack. The killings were a senseless, outrageous act," Gohmert said. "Our thoughts and prayers continue for all those so tragically affected, and I am very sorry if my comments caused heartache to anyone in Colorado."
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