Maine governor apologizes for ‘Gestapo’ remark

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine

Seeking to douse a fire he started by comparing the IRS to the Gestapo, Maine Gov. Paul LePage issued a formal apology Friday for his “insensitivity to the word” after a face-to-face meeting with representatives of several Jewish groups that had complained.

LePage hoped his apology in his weekly radio address would bring an end to the weeklong furor that started when he described the Internal Revenue Service as the “new Gestapo” while criticizing President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

LePage said it was “never my intent to insult or to be hurtful to anyone, but rather express what can happen by overreaching government.”