Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was asked about remarks by gay U.S. ambassador Richard Grenell that the South Bend mayor’s assertions that Mike Pence is anti-LGBTQ are a “hate hoax.”

Said Buttigieg, thrilling the crowd at the CNN Town Hall in New Hampshire: “I’m not a master fisherman, but I know bait when I see it and I’m not going to take it.”

Buttigieg was also asked how he plans to unite people with different religious views.

“It can be challenging to be a person of faith who’s also part of the LGBTQ community and yet, to me, the core of faith is regard for one another. And part of how God’s love is experienced, according to my faith tradition, is in the way that we support one another and, in particular, support the least among us.”

Added Buttigieg: “Part of where I’m coming from is a faith tradition that counsels me to be as humble as possible, that counsels me to look after those who need defending. Frankly, it couldn’t be more radically different than what I see certainly in this White House, where there is a lot of chest-thumping and self-aggrandizing, not to mention abusive behavior, but also a political agenda that seems to always be revolving around the idea that somehow it’s too easy for poor people in this country. It’s just so different from what I get when I read Scripture. I get that one of the things about Scripture is different people see different things in it. But, at the very least we should be able to establish that God does not have a political party.”

The post Pete Buttigieg on ‘Hate Hoax’ Claims by Richard Grenell: ‘I’m Not a Master Fisherman, But I Know Bait When I See It’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.