Matthew Hamilton reports in Capitol Confidential that former Republican gubernatorial candidate and co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's New York campaign Carl Paladino apologized to "the minority community" on Dec. 27 for recent comments wishing Michelle Obama to, "return to being a male" and "live with a gorilla in an African cave." "I never intended to hurt the minority community who I spent years trying to help out of the cycle of poverty in our inner cities," Paladino said in a statement. "To them I apologize." Paladino refused to resign from the Buffalo school board. A Trump spokesperson disavowed Paladino's original statement. "Carl's comments are absolutely reprehensible, and they serve no place in our public discourse," Trump's Deputy Communications Director Jessica Ditto said. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.