A top campaign adviser to Gov. Jan Brewer has apologized Wednesday -- sort of -- for trying to make a public issue over whether Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard is gay.
Chuck Coughlin acknowledged that he posted "20-year-old rumors'' about Goddard on the web site of his public relations and consulting company, HighGround, after questions were raised about the governor's health.
"We have heard from some people who were offended by our blog post,'' Coughlin wrote. "For that, we apologize.''
He said his point "how ridiculous it has become that blogs and other irrelevant speculation are being used to create rumors that the media takes seriously.'' Coughlin said his posting of a transcript of a deposition from an unidentified person taken during the AzScam public corruption case was not meant to "insinuate or imply anything further'' about Goddard, who has denied he is gay.
The latest posting came after Brewer "told Chuck to move on,'' according to gubernatorial press aide Paul Senseman. Brewer herself said she had nothing to do with Coughlin's original blog item.
Coughlin had defended his original posting about Goddard, saying reporters began questioning Brewer's health following an unsourced and unsubstantiated Facebook item by former U.S. Senate candidate John Dougherty. But no reporter from mainstream media outlets wrote about that issue until the governor herself made it a public issue by issuing a press release saying she is in good health.
