Staff members of Rep. Virginia Foxx (R of NC 5th District) said they've received hate mail, angry calls and even death threats since Foxx spoke out against a hate crimes bill Wednesday.
Foxx said during debate in the House the 1998 death of Matthew Shepard shouldn't be used to justify a hate crimes bill because it wasn't a hate crime. Foxx said Shepard was killed during a robbery.
"We know that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay," Foxx said during debate. "The bill was named for him, the hate-crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."
Video from C-SPAN, uploaded by "NewsPoliticsNews." The views expressed at the end of the video are not necessarily those of FOX8:
The bill approved Wednesday by the House would expand a federal hate crimes law to include acts motivated by sexual orientation.
Foxx later said her comments didn't convey what she meant to say.
"The word 'hoax' was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate crimes bill. Mr. Shepard's death was nothing less than a tragedy," Foxx is quoted in a statement released by her office.
"That's not really apologizing," said Frank Benedetti, one of Foxx's constituents. "She's obviously trying to appease one of her bases who would find this kind of talk fine and cheer her on to say it."
Benedetti is a member of North Carolina's Human Rights Campaign, once of the first groups to denounce Foxx's remarks.
Foxx said in her statement that she relied on two news reports for her comments about robbery being a motive for the slaying.
"Referencing these media accounts may have been a mistake, but if so, it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts," she said.
Foxx spokesman Aaron Groen said the congresswoman relied on articles that she later realized were faulty and especially regrets upsetting the Shepard family. He said she declined further comment.
"Calls to her office have been mostly from outside North Carolina," Groen said. "We've gotten our share of death threats and the like but that's to be expected on such an emotional issue."
The killing of the University of Wyoming student became a rallying point for the gay rights movement. Shepard was tied up, beaten and left for dead on a wooden fence.
The two men who killed him are serving life sentences in prison. Prosecutors' cases included evidence with elements of robbery, drugs and hate against gays, but the court only determined that the men were guilty of murder and not why they killed Shepard.
"I am disappointed in the comments of Congresswoman Foxx in regards to the murder of Matthew Shepard," said Sen. Richard Burr (R NC) in a statement to FOX8 News this afternoon. "I find these comments to be inaccurate and insensitive. I hope that as debate continues on this legislation we can focus on the facts and not the emotions associated with it."
This is not the first time Foxx has used what many consider a poor choice of words.
Earlier this month, she used the words "tar baby" to describe the federal bank bailout as a problem weighing heavy on democrats.
Foxx said during debate in the House the 1998 death of Matthew Shepard shouldn't be used to justify a hate crimes bill because it wasn't a hate crime. Foxx said Shepard was killed during a robbery.
"We know that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay," Foxx said during debate. "The bill was named for him, the hate-crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."
Video from C-SPAN, uploaded by "NewsPoliticsNews." The views expressed at the end of the video are not necessarily those of FOX8:
The bill approved Wednesday by the House would expand a federal hate crimes law to include acts motivated by sexual orientation.
Foxx later said her comments didn't convey what she meant to say.
"The word 'hoax' was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate crimes bill. Mr. Shepard's death was nothing less than a tragedy," Foxx is quoted in a statement released by her office.
"That's not really apologizing," said Frank Benedetti, one of Foxx's constituents. "She's obviously trying to appease one of her bases who would find this kind of talk fine and cheer her on to say it."
Benedetti is a member of North Carolina's Human Rights Campaign, once of the first groups to denounce Foxx's remarks.
Foxx said in her statement that she relied on two news reports for her comments about robbery being a motive for the slaying.
"Referencing these media accounts may have been a mistake, but if so, it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts," she said.
Foxx spokesman Aaron Groen said the congresswoman relied on articles that she later realized were faulty and especially regrets upsetting the Shepard family. He said she declined further comment.
"Calls to her office have been mostly from outside North Carolina," Groen said. "We've gotten our share of death threats and the like but that's to be expected on such an emotional issue."
The killing of the University of Wyoming student became a rallying point for the gay rights movement. Shepard was tied up, beaten and left for dead on a wooden fence.
The two men who killed him are serving life sentences in prison. Prosecutors' cases included evidence with elements of robbery, drugs and hate against gays, but the court only determined that the men were guilty of murder and not why they killed Shepard.
"I am disappointed in the comments of Congresswoman Foxx in regards to the murder of Matthew Shepard," said Sen. Richard Burr (R NC) in a statement to FOX8 News this afternoon. "I find these comments to be inaccurate and insensitive. I hope that as debate continues on this legislation we can focus on the facts and not the emotions associated with it."
This is not the first time Foxx has used what many consider a poor choice of words.
Earlier this month, she used the words "tar baby" to describe the federal bank bailout as a problem weighing heavy on democrats.
