Oh, fer cryin' out loud...
That's it. To anyone who sticks around for the rest of this: You're a braver man than I, Gunga Din.
They deserved an apology. Someone went to congress and said they were fired for bad reviews. Most of them were not fired for being bad at their job, merely for not having the president’s priorities.
There was no reason to cast their abilities to do thier jobs into question. That is what started this, and what he apologizes for again and again.
He says the firings will stand, which means he is NOT apologizing for them being fired, just for the way they were treated.