Breitbart editor and far-right writer Milo Yiannopoulos has apologized over his comments in favor of pedophilia.
According to reports, the ultra-conservative journalist could be fired from Breitbart, formerly run by President Donald Trump’s close friend and chief strategist, Steve Bannon.
Yiannopoulos defended the unethical practice of pedophilia during a podcast interview last year.
His comments in an episode of comedian and interviewer Joe Rogan’s podcast “The Drunken Peasants” drew criticism from all sides.
He had to cancel an appearance at the University of California-Berkeley last month, his invitation to the Conservative Political Action Conference was rescinded, and most recently on Monday, he issued an apology.
“I am a gay man, and a child abuse victim,” he wrote on Facebook. “I would like to restate my utter disgust at adults who sexually abuse minors. I am horrified by pedophilia and I have devoted large portions of my career as a journalist to exposing child abusers. I've outed [sic] three of them, in fact -- three more than most of my critics. And I've repeatedly expressed disgust at pedophilia in my feature and opinion writing. My professional record is very clear.”
Yiannopoulos further asserted that “these videos, even though some of them are edited deceptively, paint a different picture.”
Fearing expulsion, he also appeared on Facebook Live later to defend his stance.
In the interview, the Breitbart editor describes pedophilia as a means for the youth to “discover who they are,” adding that such a relationship would "give them security and safety and provide them with love and a reliable rock where they can't speak to their parents.”
In his apology, he stated that “I am certainly guilty of imprecise language, which I regret.”