Mitt Romney's campaign is denying it expressed support for Ted Nugent after he made controversial comments last month that led to him being interviewed by Secret Service agents.
Nugent on Friday gave his first television interview since the investigation, and the aging rocker said that Romney's team "expressed support" for him after his remarks.
But, according to an official with the Romney campaign, none of its staffers discussed the controversy with the Motor City Madman.
Nugent was asked if he had heard from the Romney campaign after making the comments. Nugent said he had and that it "expressed support."
"I got the sensation it was — not from Mitt himself or Mrs. Romney — 'Stay on course, Ted, freedom of speech is a beautiful thing,' " Nugent told CBS News Friday.
But the Romney campaign on Friday denied having any contact with Nugent about his controversial remarks. The campaign also issued a statement calling for civility in political discourse.
“Divisive language is offensive and inappropriate, no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from. Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil," said Romney spokesman Ryan Williams.
Nugent was criticized after comments he made during a National Rifle Association conference in St. Louis that some believed implied a threat against President Obama.
Nugent warned in a video posted on YouTube by the NRA — which has since been removed from the site — that he would "either be dead or in jail" if the president won reelection.
"If Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year," Nugent said. "If you can't go home and get everybody in your lives to clean house in this vile, evil, America-hating administration, I don't even know what you're made out of."
Nugent expressed little regret over the controversy, and said on Friday that Secret
Service agents didn't genuinely believe he posed a threat to the
president.
"I feel sorry for liberals who can be that brain-dead as to take a clear
statement of fear on my part and turn it into a threat against somebody
else," Nugent said.
He also dismissed their visit as "adorable."
"They did their job perfectly; I answered the questions perfectly," Nugent said.
