“I regret the malicious nature of those…statements, and this is a campaign season, and so my actions are going to open to a great deal of political mischief, but those particular statements should not be attributed to me. I did not make them,” Hofschneider, R-Saipan, said.
“I am hopeful that the general public will not be distracted by this kind of mischief and will focus instead on the hard work that lies ahead, specifically, what we all need to do to make this place better for everyone in the community,” he added.
The Tribune story quoted Hofschneider as saying that at least seven NMC personnel were illegally terminated or forced to resign.
This unconfirmed allegation actually came from an unsigned two-page document circulated on Capital Hill last Friday.
Hofschneider said he is gravely concerned about NMC’s situation but statements that he did not make should not be attributed to him.
“I wrote a letter to Northern Marianas College as a member of the Legislature conveying my concern over very serious issues still pending at the college, but I made no statements about the qualifications on any specific employee at the college,” he said. “It is clear, however, that others have no trouble diverting attention from what are legitimate issues at the college and are prepared even to throw certain individuals under the bus.”
