White House chief of staff Jeff Zients called Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday morning to apologize for a statement issued by the Democratic National Committee’s press secretary that mocked Hutchinson’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
The statement came after the former Arkansas governor dropped out of the 2024 presidential race following his sixth-place finish in the Iowa Republican caucuses. It read: “This news comes as a shock to those of us who could’ve sworn he had already dropped out.”
President Joe Biden has a “deep respect” for Hutchinson, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during Wednesday’s press briefing, “and admires the race that he ran.”
“This morning, the chief of staff here, Jeff Zients, called the governor to convey this and apologized for the statement that did not that did not represent the president’s views,” she said.
The DNC statement was seen as unnecessarily flippant by Democrats who appreciated Hutchinson for his criticism of former President Donald Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, and his refusal during a Republican debate to support Trump if he were to be convicted in any of the four criminal cases he’s currently facing.
Hutchinson was the only one of eight Republican candidates who did not raise his hand when a moderator asked during an August debate whether the candidates would support Trump if he were to be convicted.
“My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front-runner did not sell in Iowa,” Hutchinson said in a statement Tuesday. “I stand by the campaign I ran.”
When asked by CNN’s MJ Lee if there was anything communicated to the DNC, Jean-Pierre said she “can’t speak” to any communication with the committee. Jean-Pierre did reiterate that the…
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