DiMasi retracts remark on hugging Senate leader

An attempt at humor by House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi about Therese Murray, the first female Senate president, fell flat yesterday, to his chagrin.

Asked by a reporter whether he would have a better relationship with Murray than he had with Robert E. Travaglini, DiMasi chuckled.

"Well, when I hug her, it will probably be a little bit different," he said. "It will probably feel a lot better than Travaglini."

The press corps went silent for a second. Then DiMasi went on answering questions.

A few moments later, he said, "And I want to take back that hugging statement, by the way."

David Guarino, a spokesman for DiMasi, said that the speaker was "just trying to make light of his penchant for hugging elected officials, friends, and colleagues," adding that "he was trying to make a joke about the former Senate president."