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Home Depot's Langone apologizes for remarks about wealthy, Nazis

ARLINGTON, Va., March 19 (UPI) -- Ken Langone, billionaire co-founder of Home Depot, apologized for comments he made comparing the plight of wealthy Americans to the victims of Nazi Germany.

In an interview published Tuesday by Politico, Langone spoke of some wealthy Americans' response perceived attacks on the rich by Democrats.

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"I hope it's not working, because if you go back to 1933, with different words, this is what Hitler was saying in Germany. You don't survive as a society if you encourage or thrive on envy or jealousy," Langone said.

Late Tuesday Langone, a major Republican Party donor, said in a statement: "My remarks were intended to discourage pitting one group against another group in a society. If my choice of words was inappropriate, and they well may have been that, I extend my profound apologies."

Langone's remarks led some to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., to repudiate him and return donations Cuomo received from him, Politico said.

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