McCain's Campaign Apologizes To GOP Rival Romney For Negative Comments About Mormons

Friday, June 22nd 2007, 4:04 pm

By: News On 6

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ John McCain's presidential campaign has apologized to Republican rival Mitt Romney for comments about the Mormon church allegedly made by a volunteer earlier this year.

The incident dates to a meeting of Iowa Republican activists in April, where McCain's Warren County chairman, Chad Workman, is alleged to have made negative comments about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon faith. Romney is a Mormon.

A participant at the meeting said Workman questioned whether Mormons were Christians, and he referenced an article alleging that the Mormon church supports the Islamic militant group Hamas. The participant talked to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because he is involved in Iowa politics and wanted to protect his identity.

In response to a question on whether Mormon women were more likely to be stay-at-home mothers, the participant said Workman associated the treatment of Mormon women with the Taliban.

Workman didn't return a call Friday afternoon.

McCain spokesman Danny Diaz said, ``we apologize for any comment made concerning Governor Romney's religion. ... Such comments are inappropriate and unacceptable.''

Romney's Iowa campaign manager Gentry Collins said the campaign has accepted the apology from McCain's campaign, and ``it's our expectation that he'll make sure that these kinds of things don't happen again.

``It's our view that attacks of religious bigotry have no place in politics today,'' he said.

The apology comes just days after Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback issued a similar one for a campaign staffer's e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders that was an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny to Romney's Mormon faith.