Republican presidential hopeful and anti-gay extremist Ben Carson has issued an apology for his comments yesterday morning with CNN’s Chris Cuomo explaining why he believes homosexuality is a choice. 

Said Carson in the interview:

“Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.”

CNN reports:

In a statement, Carson said he “realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues.”

“I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended,” he added.

Carson referenced his medical education and his work at Johns Hopkins Hospital and asserted that the verdict is still out on whether people are born either gay or straight.

“Some of our brightest minds have looked at this debate, and up until this point there have been no definitive studies that people are born into a specific sexuality,” he said.

In a radio interview with Sean Hannity yesterday, however, Carson took a more blame-the-media approach to explaining his comments.

Mediaite reports:

 “It was a 25 minute interview they chopped, and you see what part they emphasized,” he said. “I did learn something very important: For certain networks, never do a pre-taped interview. Always do it live.”

In the interview, flagged and cut down into a shorter clip by conservative site The Right Scoop, Hannity agreed with Carson that pre-taped interviews allow for quotes to be taken out context or reshuffled in order to cast them in a certain light.

Carson continued: “I simply have decided I’m not really going to talk about that issue anymore because every time I’m gaining momentum the liberal press says, ‘Let’s talk about gay rights.’ And I’m just not going to fall for that anymore.”

Listen to a portion of Hannity’s interview with Carson and a video of CNN host Don Lemon’s segment yesterday on Carson’s comments, AFTER THE JUMP…