New York Daily News reporter Dan Friedman, who claimed he unintentionally started a rumor that defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel had ties to a shadowy group known as “Friends of Hamas,” on Wednesday responded to the attention the story has received.
“I certainly did somehow make a mistake, because I accidentally sparked a rumor. And it’s funny, but it’s a serious thing. And I’m both amused and appalled by it,” Friedman said on HuffPost Live.
In hindsight, Friedman said he should have clarified when speaking to a congressional Republican aide that the organizations he floated as having possible ties to Chuck Hagel were fictitious. “I probably misstepped a little, but I don’t feel extremely guilty, for better or worse,” he added.
The rumor spread in the conservative press after Breitbart News, citing Senate sources, reported that Hagel had ties to “Friends of Hamas,” a group that almost certainly does not exist.
Watch the appearance:
