For some reason, this feigned almost-apology seems a lot more dickish than if they were just silent on the matter completely. It's pretty well-accepted at this

For some reason, this feigned almost-apology seems a lot more dickish than if they were just silent on the matter completely. It's pretty well-accepted at this point that they intended the algorithm to allow for "key escrow" (a government backdoor) from the very beginning. And instead of just admitting that's what they did, they're trying to come up with a story about how it was all a big mistake and no they didn't backdoor it, they just supported a broken and insecure algorithm. It's like someone coming up to you, punching you in the face, and then saying "oh, sorry, didn't mean to do that, my hand slipped". The words just add insult to injury.