Mitt Romney has defended the hiring of
Richard Grenell, an openly gay man who resigned from his post earlier
this week.
In his first remarks on the
controversy, Romney told Fox News: “He's a very accomplished
spokesperson. We select people not based upon their ethnicity or
their sexual preference or their gender but upon their capability.”
Grenell's hiring sparked an outcry from
some Christian conservatives who chided Romney for placing an openly
gay man in such a high-profile position.
In a statement, Grenell said he felt
his ability to do his job was “greatly diminished by the
hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues.”
Romney did not address those who
criticized the hiring of Grenell.
According to media reports, the
firestorm of protest from conservatives prompted the campaign to
advise Grenell, hired as a foreign policy spokesman for the campaign,
to keep a low profile during an April 26 conference call he had
organized to denounce President Barack Obama on national security.
An unnamed Republican adviser told The
New York Times that the campaign was not concerned about
Grenell's sexual orientation but “didn't want to confront the
religious right.”
(Related: Jon
Stewart mocks Bryan Fischer's hostility to Mitt Romney's gay hire Ric
Grenell.)