Rep. Grayson apologizes for 'whore' remark

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A Florida congressman issued a written apology Tuesday for a disparaging remark he made about an aide to the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., said he did not mean to refer to Linda Robertson as a "K Street whore" during a heated September radio interview.

"This characterization of Ms. Robertson, made during a radio interview last month in the context of the debate over whether the Federal Reserve should be independently audited, was inappropriate, and I apologize," Grayson said. "I did not intend to use a term that is often, and correctly, seen as disrespectful of women."

Grayson, a freshman in the House, had directed his ire at Robertson, an aide to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, due to her background as a former lobbyist for Enron.

CNN said the crack had stirred up a degree of controversy on Capitol Hill and Grayson's staff had been defending the freshman congressman and chiding Robertson as late as Tuesday afternoon.