we can't ask john lauber to corroborate the details. "the post" reports his sister says he died in 2004. memories can fail, no disputing that or the fact that a lot of people do stupid things in high school. romney's far from alone in that admission. what seems contradictory in romney's statement, however, saying on the one hand he does not recall the incident and on the other hand recalling that he had no idea whether john lauber's sexual orientation was -- what the sexual orientation was perceived to be back then. as for saying he's sorry if anyone is hurt or offended, can we retire that apology. we hear it time and time again. it makes it a none apology, a watered down way to say you're sorry that makes it seem like you're not really sorry, even though you may be. most people see right through it because we heard it before, a lot of times. listen. >> i'm sorry that there is at least one of my colleagues that can't take a joke and so i apologize if i offended him. >> if anybody is offended i deeply apologize. >> i'm sorry if i offende

four other classmates confirmed the incident to "the post" saying the student john lauber was nonconformist. lauber revealed he was a homosexual and died eight years ago of liver cancer. romney was first asked about the incident on a radio show. >> you know, i don't remember that incident. and i'll tell you, i certainly don't believe that i or -- i can't speak for other people, of course, thought the fellow was homosexual. that was the furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s. >> he told fox news -- >> i don't recall the incident myself, but i've seen the reports. i'm not going to argue with that. there's no question but that i did some stupid things when i was in high school. >> reporter: the article shows that in high school romney had a gregarious side, a practical joker who kept friends laughing. it was the side of him that ann said on "cbs this morning". people didn't know. >> i still look at him as the boy i met in high school, when he was playing all the jokes and really just being crazy, pretty crazy. there's a wild and crazy man inside of there. >> reporter: other classmates

the family of john lauber said the portrayal of him isn't correct and they're upset that he was usedolitical gain. romney reportedly held lauber down and cut his hair. lauber later came out as gay. romney has apologized for that incident. >>> montgomery county is once again looking at imposing an ambulance fee. the county executive said it could bring millions in revenue. some in the county are upset about the proposed fee. news4's tracee wilkins has the story. >> reporter: it may feel a little bit like deja vu, but it really is happening. montgomery county voters may soon be asked to once again consider ambulance fees. this, after voting it down just a little more than a year ago. it's an issue that split montgomery county before and it may again. should people who have emergencies and call for an ambulance pay a fee of hundreds of dollars? the people of montgomery county voted no to the proposal. back in 20010. now county executive ike leggitt is introducing the amendment again. >> try and try and maybe you'll succeed, but hopefully they won't. >> if it's taking all it time and mon

four other classmates confirm the incident to the "post," saying the student, john lauber, was a nonconformist at the straight-laced school. he was a homosexual and died eight years ago of liver cancer. romney was first asked about this incident this morning on a radio show. >> i don't remember that incident. and i'll tell you, i certainly don't believe that i or... i can't speak for other people, of course, thought the fellow was homosexual. that was the furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s. >> don't recall the incident myself but i have seen the reports. i'm not going to argue with that. there's no question i did some stupid things when i was in high school. >> reporter: the "post" article shows in high school romney had a gregarious side, a practical joker who kept friends laughing. it was a side of him his wife, anne, said on cbs this morning that many people didn't know. >> i still look at him as the boy that i met in high school when he was playing all the jokes and really just being crazy, pretty crazy. and so, there's a wild and crazy man inside there. >> reporter: now, othe

report that he and his high school classmates allegedly attacked a presumed homosexual student named john lauber and forcibly cuhis hair 48 years ago. yesterday, he latched it off. >> you know, i don't remember that incident. and i tell you, i certainly don't believe that i thought the fellow was homosexual. >> reporter: now, the family of the alleged victim, who died in 2004, is criticizing the story telling abc news, the fportraya of john is factually incorrect and we are aggrieved that he would be used to further a political agenda. the story has set off a furious debate about whether things that happened so long ago matter today. >> if teenagers ran the white house, this your a relevant conversation. >> in these days, if something like that happened, that person would be prosecuted, perhaps for a hate crime. >> did obama pull off any pranks in high school? >> reporter: now, some conservatives are pointing to the president's own memoir, where he acknowledged at a 10-year-old, mistreating the only other black kid in his class. a girl named coretta, who had no friends. >> i ran up to coretta an

they talk about a prank that could have gone on in high school with with a friend with a guy named john lauber who they say that you and a couple of his friends who this guy was a thought to be homosexual cut his hair pin him down and cut his hair do you remember any of this you know like opposite sides or whatever that incident. you know he's laughing through this typically people are laughing like this either when they're lying or when they're nervous. which was it and does this show you know could it be that he's believed his way to the top of the republican party romney's been a bully all his life and that's essentially what santorum and gingrich both accused obama did he bully is way to the top when he bullied little girls in elementary school i mean there's a history of him being using a lot of drugs in high school too and do we need to use him of having some moral if it is ready to argue for it this way again would be true i mean you're looking back what fifty years from when he was in high school and judging him from one incident where he well that's what i'm saying is i don't i don't

. >> meantime the sister of the man in question who passed away a number of years ago, john lauber and statement saying the family of john labauer feels the portrayal is factually in correct an we're aggrieved he would be used to further a political agenda. there will be no more comments from his family. what about this story in how it came about? the timing? the whole back and forth. >> it's a difficult story. obviously, all of sus been at that point in our lives. all been to high school. there are things that we all wish we had about done. or that we are glad no one is digging up from our past. "washington post" talked to several of mitt romney's friends. a good cross section. they had five folks who talk to them and related the incident. that is the issue. for romney abhis team. as you saw, with this immediate denial, i'm sorry with the immediate apology from him that the day the story came out his team well recognized this is minefield for them. if they let this story define hism, as somebody who was a mean bully in high school, that is something they will face problems with down t

the american red cross said that emerges he sought shelter nearby and as for john lauber term accommodations for the people displaced. >>> that theory is bright yellow leather bikini spider convertible has been found he added actor was stolen from san francisco more than a year ago sources tell me cbs five that that is into the dominican a sheriff's investigators to the storage units in. richmonds. >>> to your son have any involvement in the that it is clear beginning? >>> no. he and they did with any of it. >>> investigators were looking for a gun is stolen property connected to that mill valley shooting ends falloff in from the car that stabs 70 of suspect today marks when years since the kremlin leader asylum than mine was killed and happened to gerry reynolds, a u.s. navy seals and pakistan meanwhile a former board has official says in the log when the president of, and the general assassinated but michael letter told nbc this morning he does not think that was his highest priority. time now 641 coming up of the secrets losing weight could be your sleep. and the men apart has brought the

lauber died in 2004. his family is disputing "the post's" story. the portrayal of john is fact actually incorrect and we disagree that john would be used to further a political agenda. yesterday on this show, romney's senior adviser, he had gillespie, had this to say about the story. >> is the incident troubling to you? >> well, mitt romney doesn't understand that incident at all. it's easy to understand, it was high school. >> but mitt romney deciding to inflate the news bubble, hoping that it would pop. first they did it on fox news radio. >> i had no idea that this person might have been gay and, as the recall points out, i participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school and some may have gone too far and for that i apologize. >> and then he stuck with the fox network, this time going on television to do it. >> i don't recall the incident myself but i've seen the reports and i'm not going to argue with that. there's no question that i did some stupid things when i was in high school. >> editor of the political report reminds us that it's nothing new fo

. >> there's also a statement that comes from the family that reads quote, the family of john lauber would like to state that the portrayal of john is factually incorrect and we are aggrieved that john would be used to further a political agenda. there will be no further comments from the family. we have to leave it there. i thank you both for joining us. a lot of talk about on a friday. steve and karen, thanks so much. >>> the president is leaving la la land and george clooney. what happens at these $15 million event dinners? next. dr. gilmore. i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number. he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it

. >> john lauber, mitt romney's victim, will never hear his apology.died in 2004. >> jonathan, let's adjudicate as fair minded observers having read this story, watched mitt romney's response. do you think he is lying about remembering all of this. >> when you have five people who go -- i think four went on the record and one of the people went on background. when you have those five people willing to talk about what happened and they individually talked about this story. not like they all got together in a room and told him this story. they individually have memories of what happened. and, what happened as you described at the opening of the segment was an emotionally and physically violent act that was led by mitt romney on this poor kid at the time whose only sin, if you will, was to look different than everyone else at kron brook. for mitt romney to lead a gang, if you will, of five guys with himself, scissors in hand to go after this kid like that is reprehensible. and, let's keep something else in mind, lawrence. this is bullying and we're talkin

the post reports, quote, john lauber, a soft-spoken new student one year behind romney was perpetually teased for his nonconformity and presumed homosexuality. he was walking around the all-boys school with bleached-blond hair that draped over one eye and romney wasn't having it. he can't look like that. that's wrong. just look at him. an incensed romney told his close friend. now mat tu tells the post that he later saw romney marching out of his own room ahead of a prep school posse shouting about their plan to cut lauber's hair. they tackled him and held him to the ground and screaming for help romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors. it was a searing moment for those involved in the moment. 30 years later, one of romney's classmates ran into lauber at an airport and asked him about what happened. according to the polls, lauber said, it was horrible. lauber went on to explain how frightened he was during the incident and, quote, it's something i've thought about a lot since then. end of quote. and one of the young men who took part in the bullying told "the post,"

yesterday the press reported an incident from mitt romney's years involving a student named john lauberds came to lauber, pinned him to the ground. as lauber's eyes screamed for help, romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors. why does that story matter? because it found romney before his own political campaign does. i have very strong opinions about this topic. i'm saving them for the end of this show. what is your opinion? when you read this article on the front page of the times. >> i have two opinions on it. the first is, wow, it's 50 years ago. high school boys in the 1960s, okay, we understand it. the other opinion i have is, again, this is another time where i think the campaign fl flubbed the opportunity to help get him in front of the story and to define this story in context so that people aren't taking current attitudes about bullying and how they see, you know, young gay men being treated and juxtaposing them to the 1960s. >> what's the second part? how did they handle it? >> how they handled it was poorly. >> denying it, saying he can't remember? >> a lot o

. >> a prank that could have gone down in high school with a guy named john lauber, who they say that and a couple of your friends with, who this guy was thought to be homosexual, cut his hair. pinned him down and cut his hair. do you remember any of this? >> you know, i don't remember that incident. and i'll tell you, i certainly don't believe that i or -- i can't speak for other people, of course -- but thought the fella was homosexual. that was the farthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s. so that was not the case. but as to actually and play that back, i don't remember them all, but again, high school days, and i did stupid things, and i'm afraid i've got to say sorry for it. >> they also point out an incident in english class with this guy, gary hummel, who says he was a closeted gay student at the time, and when he would talk out, a young mitt romney would yell, "atta girl," do you think that happened? >> well, i really can't remember that. you know, there are a lot of times, my guess is, at a boys' school, where other boys do something and people say, hey, atta girl. but

the "washington post" reported that in one case, he bullied a gay classmate, john lauber, by holding him down and cutting his hair. romney apologized today for what he called "hijinks and pranks", but he denied singling out anyone for being gay. he spoke in an interview with fox news radio. >> woodruff: back to today, there were new questions about how gay politics and the marriage issue might play in ten battleground states, come november. same-sex marriage has been banned in eight of the states-- nevada, colorado, wisconsin, florida, virginia, ohio, pennsylvania, and just this week, in north carolina. two other swing states permit it: iowa and new hampshire. tonight at least, the issue was expected to play to president obama's advantage at a hollywood fundraiser, hosted by the actor george clooney, and expected to bring in a record $15 million. >> woodruff: for more on the potential political consequences and calculations of the president's move we are joined by charlie mahtesian, national politics editor for the website politico. and, perry bacon, political editor for nbc news web

and i think if you even look to the response that the family has had, the family of john lauber -- iope i'm saying his name correctly. you know, the sisters said they had no knowledge of this, that it was factually incorrect. but it seems like people are tap dancing on the grave of their brother and that's a poor taste to move a political agenda. i think that's how a lot of people are going to perceive this. there's a sense of why is the timing, it's very suspicious about the timing. suspicious about the sources and then you have the family kind of saying, really enough is enough. i think all of those elements together make it look quite suspicious. >> so before i bring in tim, it could be that there was a timing link and that all of a sudden the president comes out for gay marriage, "the washington post" said there's high interest. that's not politically motivated but trying to time for reader interest. >> that's exactly right. that's why republicans want to present it that way. you have five witnesses including one independently reached out to by cnn, i do remember that. it was hor

john lauber, the student died of cancer in 2004. one man said he ran into him in the airport and apologized and he said lauber said to him, this is something i carried with me my entire life. >> more on this from our political analyst matthew dowd. matthew, you saw yesterday after first saying he didn't remember there is now kind of a blanket apology from mitt romney for any pranks that went too far in high school and you saw that statement from the family. does this put an end to the story? >> no, i don't think so, george. i don't think it puts an end to the story. the interesting thing to me about this incident it touches on something that touches on every one of us, our high school experience. most people's high school experiences are right below the surface. the good ones and the bad ones. if you talk to people and have any conversations with people, this he know they feel those things and they've had -- they've seen incidents like this in their own high school experience. i think mitt romney has not put it to rest and needs to