Texas Lawmaker Apologizes for Jewish Comment
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas state lawmaker has apologized for reportedly using the phrase "Jew them down" during an official hearing.
State Rep. Larry Taylor, a Republican running for state Senate, apparently used the term while chiding the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Thursday about the need to pay claims promptly. "Don't nitpick, don't try to Jew them down -- that's probably a bad term," he said, according to the Texas political website Quorum Report.
Taylor has since apologized for the comment. In a letter Friday to the southwest branch of the Anti-Defamation League, Taylor said he used a "terrible choice of words" which does not reflect his beliefs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I understand the impact of my comments and am deeply sorry for the message that was sent," he said in the letter, obtained by FoxNews.com.
The Texas Tribune also reported that Taylor apologized for the comment on Thursday, as some complained that it was an offensive way for him to express an otherwise legitimate point about paying claimants for wind damage.
"At a legislative oversight committee hearing today, I inadvertently used a phrase that many people find offensive," Taylor said in his earlier statement. "I corrected myself immediately when I realized what I had said. I regret my poor choice of words and sincerely apologize for any harm they may have caused."