(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
But that's exactly what Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota did when he told Politico why he doesn't hold town meetings: "25 percent of my people believe the Pentagon and [former Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld (pictured at left) were responsible for taking the twin towers down."
Now Peterson, a conservative Democrat, is scrambling to diffuse anger over the comments, the Star Tribune reports. Apologizing for what her called an "off-handed comment," Peterson said he "certainly wasn't trying to make fun of anyone."
"What I was talking about was simply that there are the people in Minnesota's Seventh District who have called me and talked to me about this question," he explained in a press release. "The other point I was trying to make is that there are people in the Seventh District who freely identify themselves as outside the mainstream -- on the left and on the right -- who try to hijack public forums like town hall meetings."
The Minnesota Republican party, not surprisingly, did not look charitably on Peterson's "outrageous and offensive" comments.
"Peterson revealed just how out of touch and disconnected he has become in Washington," GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said in a release, according to the Star Tribune. "Given his liberal voting record, the real reason Peterson doesn't hold town hall meetings is because he is afraid to face the residents of his district."
Rep. Apologizes For Comments About Constituents
/ CBS News
But that's exactly what Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota did when he told Politico why he doesn't hold town meetings: "25 percent of my people believe the Pentagon and [former Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld (pictured at left) were responsible for taking the twin towers down."
Now Peterson, a conservative Democrat, is scrambling to diffuse anger over the comments, the Star Tribune reports. Apologizing for what her called an "off-handed comment," Peterson said he "certainly wasn't trying to make fun of anyone."
"What I was talking about was simply that there are the people in Minnesota's Seventh District who have called me and talked to me about this question," he explained in a press release. "The other point I was trying to make is that there are people in the Seventh District who freely identify themselves as outside the mainstream -- on the left and on the right -- who try to hijack public forums like town hall meetings."
The Minnesota Republican party, not surprisingly, did not look charitably on Peterson's "outrageous and offensive" comments.
"Peterson revealed just how out of touch and disconnected he has become in Washington," GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said in a release, according to the Star Tribune. "Given his liberal voting record, the real reason Peterson doesn't hold town hall meetings is because he is afraid to face the residents of his district."