Mitt Romney on Sunday said he accepts the apology of MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry, who induced cringes during a December 30 segment in which guests mocked Romney’s African-American grandson.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, the former Massachusetts governor told host Chris Wallace, “I recognize that people make mistakes, and the folks at MSNBC made a big mistake and they’ve apologized for it, and that’s all you can ask for.”
In the wake of last weekend’s segment, Harris-Perry issued apologies on Twitter and in a statement online. On her show Saturday, she tearily apologized to “families formed through transracial adoption.” “I am deeply sorry that we suggested that interracial families are in any way funny, or deserving of ridicule,” she said.
Harris-Perry’s panel last weekend used Romney’s Christmas card, featuring a photograph of his family as a jumping off point for jokes about the GOP’s lack of diversity. Comedian Dean Obeidallah said, “I think this picture is great. It really sums up the diversity of the Republican party, the RNC. At the convention, they find the one black person.”
“We hold no ill will whatsoever,” Romney said, insisting that he and his family are “moving on.”