Rusty DePass, a prominent South Carolina Republican activist and former state elections director, has now made an abject apology for having joked on his Facebook page that an escaped gorilla from a local zoo was an ancestor of First Lady Michelle Obama.
“I am truly sorry for any offense I have caused,” DePass said at a press conference — held at the offices of the South Carolina NAACP, no less. “My remark was clearly inappropriate and I apologize for writing it.”
DePass had previously sort-of apologized for it — but also said that Michelle had originated the comment by believing in evolution. This new apology at least appears to be a step in the right direction.
