An obviously frustrated and fed up Indiana Gov. Mike Pence came out swinging on national television over his state's new religious freedom rule, basically telling ABC host George Stephanopoulos to move on with his questioning – the law's not leaving.
On "This Week," Pence, a Republican, faced fire over whether the bill he signed into law was tantamount to discrimination against certain groups of individuals, specifically "gays" and lesbians.
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He insisted the law wasn't a regulation against private individuals or businesses but rather a means of checking government and upholding the First Amendment.
He slammed the media for its "reckless" and "shameless" skewed coverage of the issue, Politico reported.
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Pence finally told his host: "We're not going to change the law, OK? This is not about discrimination, this is about empowering people to confront government overreach. ... From people who preach tolerance every day, we've been under an avalanche of intolerance. I'm not going to take it lying down."
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He also said the law doesn't automatically give businesses the right to decline to serve homosexuals or others and insisted: "Hoosiers don't believe in discrimination," Politico reported.
Indiana's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act has incited widespread controversy.
Indianapolis-based Angie's List just announced it was canceling a $40 million expansion of its headquarters, while ESPN host Keith Olbermann has called for the NFL to boycott the state.
