U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar “regrets” threatening to punch a reporter at an Election Day event in Fountain, Col., a spokesman said Tuesday.
"The secretary regrets the exchange," the spokesman said.
Dave Philipps, a reporter at
The Gazette newspaper of Colorado Springs, asked Salazar questions about the government's wild horses program. Philipps had tried unsuccessfully to reach Salazar for months about a story Philipps wrote for ProPublica.
The story described how a Colorado man with business ties to Salazar was able to buy hundreds of federally protected wild horses despite advocating horse slaughter.
When Philipps queried Salazar about the program and his ties to the buyer, who is now under investigation, Salazar halted the interview. He pushed The Gazette's video camera out of the way and planted himself inches from Philipps.
"Don't you ever," Salazar said in a quiet voice, pointing his finger. "You know what, you do that again, . . . I'll punch you out."
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.