Foxx sends letter of apology to Matthew Shepard’s mother.

Last week, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) generated intense controversy when she railed against The Matthew Shepard Act by claiming that Shepard’s horrific murder was a “hoax.” “We know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay,” she said. The next day, Foxx’s office released a statement saying that “hoax” was a “poor choice of words” and that she was “especially sorry if his grieving family was offended.” Now, the Winston-Salem Journal reports that Foxx has written a letter of apology to Shepard’s mother, Judy. The Matthew Shepard Foundation confirmed that Judy Shepard received Foxx’s note, but refused to comment further.