News-Record.com

Update: Click here for the story I'm working on for tomorrow's paper.

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Congresswoman Virginia Foxx had this to say on the U.S. House floor today:

“I also would like to point out that there was a bill -- the hate crimes bill that's called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay."

Click here for a fuller clip direct from the source.

A staffer in Foxx's office who I asked about Foxx's comments pointed to a 20/20 piece and a article in the Washington Times, both of which question the motives of the murderers.

Still, the comments are provoking a rather strong reaction already.

Hat tip to Politico and my friend Lex Alexander.

Background on the Matthew Shepard murder here.

Update: Foxx's office just e-mailed this statement from the Congresswoman:

“It has come to my attention that some people have been led to believe that I think the terrible crimes that led to Matthew Shepard’s death in 1998 were a hoax. The term “hoax” was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate crimes bill. Mr. Shepard’s death was nothing less than a tragedy and those responsible for his death certainly deserved the punishment they received.

“The larger context of my remarks is important. I was referring to an article published in the Washington Times on August 10, 2007 that referenced a 2004 ABC 20/20 report on Mr. Shepard’s death. The Times article and 20/20 report both questioned the motivation of those responsible for Mr. Shepard’s death. Referencing these media accounts may have been a mistake, but if so it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts.”