Billionaire Home Depot Founder Kinda Sorta Not Really Apologizes for Nazi Comparison

Twenty-four hours after the publication of a POLITICO article in which he is quoted comparing populist rhetoric in the U.S. to Nazi Germany, billionaire Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone apologized — kinda.

“My remarks were intended to discourage pitting one group against another group in a society,” Langone said in a statement. “If my choice of words was inappropriate — and they well may have been that — I extend my profound apologies to anyone and everyone who I may have offended.”

Pretty weak. Saying your Nazi analogy “well may have been” inappropriate is a far cry from recognizing that it is inappropriate, and Langone finished with the old “sorry if you got offended by my truth” relocation of blame onto his critics. Note that Langone never actually said he was wrong or feels remorse, which means he’s really just sorry his statement blew up on him.

Since Langone is an Andrew Cuomo backer, Cuomo’s office has been under fire to repudiate the comment. Reached for a statement, Cuomo spokesman Matt Wing told New York Daily News Wednesday morning that Langone “apologized for using inappropriate words.” Did he?

[h/t NYDN]

[Image via Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic]

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This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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