Romney Wanted Gay Spokesman to Stay on the Job

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he wanted an openly gay spokesman who resigned from his campaign this week to stay on.

He says his campaign doesn't consider sexual orientation in hiring.

Interviewed Friday by Fox News, Romney called the spokesman, Richard Grenell, a "capable individual" and said many senior campaign aides urged him not to leave.

Grenell was hired in late April to speak for Romney on national security and foreign policy issues. A vocal supporter of gay marriage, Grenell resigned this week after conservative critics raised questions about his sexual orientation.

Romney says his campaign hires people "not based upon their ethnicity, or their sexual preference or their gender but upon their capability."

Romney also criticized Friday's jobs report, calling it "not good news."