White House apologizes for Hutchinson statement
WASHINGTON — The White House reached out Wednesday to former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to apologize for a Democratic National Committee statement ridiculing Hutchinson for his presidential campaign.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the statement does not reflect President Joe Biden’s view of Hutchinson, adding that White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients called the former governor to express remorse for the DNC’s choice of words.
“President Biden has deep respect for Gov. Hutchinson and admires the race that he ran,” Jean-Pierre said. “The president knows him to be a man of principle who cares about our country and has a strong record of public ser- vice.”
Hutchinson presented himself on the campaign trail as an alternative to former President Donald Trump, contending that Trump — the front-runner for the Republican nomination — is unfit for the White House given the former president’s claims about the 2020 presidential election and because of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Hutchinson struggled to build momentum on the campaign trail. After the former governor finished sixth in Monday’s Iowa caucuses, Hutchinson announced Tuesday he was suspending his campaign.
“This news comes as a shock to those of us who could’ve sworn he had already dropped out,” DNC national press secretary Sarafina Chitika said Tuesday.
The statement received bipartisan rebuke. Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania shared on X — the social media platform previously called Twitter — that he was “deeply disappointed” in the DNC’s release. Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican opposed to Trump, described the DNC’s pattern of statements taunting Republican presidential candidates as “just stupid and dumb.”
In a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hutchinson confirmed Zients’ apology.
“I am gratified that so many from both parties have rebuffed this type of ridicule as unnecessary and demeaning to all in the public arena,” the former governor said. “From my standpoint this is all very minor, but both parties need to rise above pettiness and focus on things that matter to Americans.”
The DNC did not respond to the Democrat-Gazette’s inquiry on the matter.
“It did not represent [Biden’s] views,” Jean-Pierre emphasized Wednesday. “We apologize to the governor. He respects the governor’s public service, and we just wanted to make that very clear.”
Hutchinson told the Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday that he does not have plans to endorse any of the remaining presidential candidates in the immediate future. He added that Trump has crafted the Republican Party into the former president’s own image, “and that is driven by ego and it is driven by his grievances.”