A Republican congressman apologized Tuesday evening for saying in an interview that he would have to think about un-endorsing Donald Trump even if the GOP nominee admitted to raping several women.
“I apologize for my failure to immediately condemn anyone who would say something as outrageous as they like raping women,” Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, said on social media Tuesday.
Farenthold’s apology came shortly after he appeared Tuesday on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes.”
The show’s host posed a series of hypotheticals, including, “If someone off the record … said, ‘I really like raping women,’ would that be locker room talk?”
Hayes’ remarks come in reference to 2005 audio of GOP nominee Donald Trump, whom Farenthold has endorsed, bragging about using his celebrity clout to get sexual favors from women.
“You don’t know the entire context,” Farenthold said in response to Hayes.
“But you would be fine that?” Hayes persisted. “If a tape came out with Donald Trump saying that, saying, ‘I really like to rape women,’ you would continue to endorse him?”
Farenthold took a minute to consider his answer.
“Again – that would be bad,” the congressman answered. “And I would have to consider it – I’d consider it.”
Moments after the interview, the Texas lawmaker apologized on social media.
“During an interview on MSNBC with Chris Hayes tonight, I was thrown off by the anchor’s use of a hypothetical question,” he said. “I do not, and have not ever condoned rape or violence against women. That is not the kind of man I believe Donald Trump to be.”
