Rep. Luis Gutierrez said Wednesday that he apologized to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly for questioning his military service.
“I said to the general during the meeting, I said I want to extend to you my most heartfelt and sincere apologies for ever questioning your military service. And I am so sorry you lost your son,” Mr. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, said on MSNBC.
“And I don’t believe anybody should be questioning people that have lost their children in combat in service of the nation,” he added.
Mr. Gutierrez said at a Hispanic Caucus Institute event in September that Mr. Kelly was “a hypocrite who is a disgrace to the uniform he used to wear.” He also said Mr. Kelly was “a politician” and “not a general.”
Mr. Kelly, former Department of Homeland Security secretary and military general, is the highest-ranked military officer to lose a son in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The congressmen said that after meeting with Mr. Kelly Wednesday on Capitol Hill he felt the need to apologize for the remarks, but still believes the chief of staff is part of the problem with the administration’s stance on immigration reform.
“He thanked me for my apology. I think we’re on better terms,” Mr. Gutierrez said.
“Do I still believe that he is part of the architecture of hurting the Dreamers? Absolutely, but I think you can do one without the other,” he said.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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