Here’s a statement from Mike Missanelli provided by a representative:

I apologize to anyone I have offended with such a poor choice of words.  I am facing the consequences of those words. The person in question is a serial e-mailer who has been harassing me and threatening violence on me and my family for years, using countless e-mail addresses and computer servers to send his poisonous messages. Inquiries to discover his identity and have the law enforcement authorities deal with him have not thus far been successful. My response to him was a desperate attempt to get him to cease and desist, or at least discover the motivation for his hatred and obsession towards me.  Anyone who knows me or has ever listened to my show knows that I would NEVER cast aspersions on anyone’s culture or lifestyle.

Larry Mendte spoke with Missanelli via email for a story that appeared on Philly Mag’s website earlier today. In it, Missanelli says he has other emails from the listener he called a “homosexual” in which said listener admits to being a homosexual. Missanelli told Mendte he was “trying to be clinical with [the listener].”

But that might not be the most fascinating part of the article. Mendte, a convicted email hacker who leaked the contents of Alycia Lane’s email to gossip sites (!!!), spent multiple paragraphs shredding Deadspin for initially running the emails with only one side of the exchange:

The story was leaked to them by an Internet troll who has reportedly been baiting and heckling Mike Missanelli, a radio talk show host on 97.5 the Fanatic, for years. In the Deadspin story the troll is allowed to remain anonymous. Yet before running the story, Deadspin never reached out to Missanelli to get his side of the story. I know because I did reach out to him. It was easy and he responded immediately. It is a basic tenet of journalism to attempt to get both sides of the story.

So who deserves your condemnation more? The Internet gossip site that ignores the tenets of journalism to launch a personal attack in hopes of attention, an anonymous troll who selectively leaks emails after threatening a man and his family for years, or the man whose only real sin seems to be writing an ill-advised response and clicking the “send” button.

Wherever you stand on the Missanelli thing, I think we can all agree that Mendte’s hypocrisy is delicious.