U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell said on Tuesday he was pleasantly surprised that Democratic White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg has stopped lobbing homophobia accusations at the vice president.
Grenell, who is the highest-ranking openly homosexual official in the Trump administration, has come to Vice President Mike Pence’s defense from the “hate hoax” that he says was being peddled by the Buttigieg campaign.
“I was actually quite pleased to see that Mayor Pete decided to stop pushing this hate hoax,” Grenell said Tuesday on Fox News. “I think that is an important sign. I think that it is very big of him to admit that the attacks that he has been doing for the last several days are not working and they’re not a good strategy. I was pleased to see him say he is not going to push that.”
Grenell mentioned Pence’s support of the global initiative being spearheaded by the U.S. diplomatic corps and key allies around the world to decriminalize homosexuality. The initiative is a response to the hanging of a 32-year-old gay man last month, reported by Iranian state-controlled media.
“What I’m trying to do is defend my friend, Mike Pence, the vice president, who is a great man, an honorable man, a man of Christian faith and somebody that I admire,” Grenell said. “I also want to just point out the fact that the vice president, Mike Pence, is fully on board with my push to decriminalize homosexuality around the world.”
Buttigieg was asked at a CNN town hall Monday night to respond to Grenell’s prior comments regarding the “hate hoax along the lines of Jussie Smollett.” The South Bend, Ind., mayor said that he wasn’t going to “take the bait” anymore on the issue.
“I’m not a master fisherman, but I know bait when I see it. I will not take it,” Buttigieg responded.
The tense flare-ups over the issue between Pence and Buttigieg have been a dominant subject throughout the nascent campaign over the past few weeks, with Buttigieg taking swipes on Pence’s stances on gay rights throughout his political career.
“If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade,” Buttigieg said Sunday. “And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand. That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me — your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”
Pence responded, saying that he hopes Buttigieg, who he considers a friend, would stop attacking his Christian faith and instead focus on substantial issues.
“I hope that Pete will offer more to the American people than attacks on my Christian faith or attacks on the president as he seeks the highest office in the land,” Pence told CNN. “He’d do well to reflect on the importance of respecting the freedom of religion of every American.”
[Opinion: Conservatives should be extremely wary of Pete Buttigieg]
