民主党全国委员会嘲笑前阿肯色州州长阿萨·哈钦森的言论后，白宫于周三向他道歉最近暂停的共和党总统竞选.
“拜登总统非常尊重哈钦森州长，并钦佩他参加的竞选。白宫新闻秘书卡琳·让·皮埃尔周三对记者表示:“总统知道他是一个有原则的人，他关心我们的国家，并有良好的公共服务记录。
“今天早上，这里的参谋长杰夫·齐恩茨打电话给州长转达了这一点，并为不代表总统观点的声明道歉。所以，正如我刚才所说的那样，杰夫·兹恩茨代表总统打电话给州长道歉，这并没有反映他的观点。”
哈钦森在周一的爱荷华州党团会议中获得第六名，在竞选中仅获得不到200张选票，落后于名不见经传的瑞安·宾利，随后民主党全国委员会嘲笑了哈钦森。前总统唐纳德·特朗普轻松获胜以大约30个百分点的优势击败最接近的对手，获得了超过50%的选票。
民主党全国委员会新闻秘书沙拉菲娜·奇蒂卡在周二的一份声明中说:“这个消息让我们这些本可以发誓他已经退出的人感到震惊。”
奇蒂卡没有立即回应美国广播公司新闻部对让-皮埃尔言论的置评请求。
哈钦森告诉ABC新闻，他感谢兹恩斯的电话。
“令我欣慰的是，来自两党的许多人都驳斥了这种嘲笑，认为这是不必要的，是对公共领域所有人的贬低。从我的角度来看，这一切都很小，但两党都需要超越琐碎，专注于对美国人重要的事情，”他在一份声明中说。
哈钦森有着漫长的政治履历，包括担任缉毒局第一任局长，并在众议院任职多年，然后当选为阿肯色州州长，任期至2023年。他在2024年的竞选中以传统的保守派平台参选。
他是少数公开批评特朗普的共和党候选人之一，包括表示如果特朗普最终被判有罪，他就不应该再次担任总统。(特朗普否认有不当行为。)
“我的信息是，作为一名有原则、有经验的共和党人，说出当前领跑者的真相，这在爱荷华州并不畅销，”他在周二宣布退出竞选时发表声明说。“我参加了袖手旁观竞选。我回答了每个问题，向共和党发出了2024年风险的警告，并为我们国家的未来带来了希望。”
“(我妻子)苏珊和我非常幸运，”哈钦森说，“我们很感激有机会在政治舞台上为美国而战。”
White House apologizes to Asa Hutchinson for Democratic Party mocking his campaign
The White House on Wednesday apologized to former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson after the Democratic National Committee mocked hisrecently suspended Republican presidential campaign.
"President Biden has deep respect for Gov. Hutchinson and admires the race that he ran. The president knows him to be a man of principle who cares about our country and has a strong record of public service," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.
"This morning, the chief of staff here, Jeff Zients, called the governor to convey this and apologized for the statement that did not represent the president's views. So again, as I just stated, Jeff Zients called the governor to apologize on behalf of the president, and it did not reflect his views."
The apology came after the DNC taunted Hutchinson after he suspended his campaign after a sixth-place finish in Monday's Iowa caucuses, garnering fewer than 200 votes in the contest, behind little-known Ryan Binkley. Former President Donald Trumpcoasted to victory, besting his nearest opponent by about 30 points and taking more than 50% of the vote.
"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 in a Tuesday statement.
Chitika did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News about Jean-Pierre's remarks.
Hutchinson told ABC News that he appreciated the call from Zients.
Former Arkansas governor and 2024 Presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson speaks to media following the Republican Party of Iowa legislative breakfast at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 8, 2024.
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters, FILE
"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. From my standpoint this is all very minor but both parties need to rise above pettiness and focus on things that matter to Americans," he said in a statement.
Hutchinson, who has a lengthy political resume, including serving as the first administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and years in the House before being elected as Arkansas governor for two terms until 2023, ran on a traditional conservative platform in the 2024 race.
He was one of the few Republican candidates to openly criticize Trump, including saying that Trump should not be president again if he is ultimately convicted of a crime. (Trump denies wrongdoing.)
"My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa," he said in a statement on Tuesday when announcing that he was leaving the race. "I stand by the campaign I ran. I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future."
"[My wife] Susan and I are blessed beyond measure," Hutchinson said, "and we are grateful for the opportunity to have fought in the political arena for America."
