Sen. Orrin Hatch has been roundly criticized for saying he didn’t care that President Trump was implicated in two felony convictions against his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. On Friday, Hatch apologized for those comments.
When asked by a CNN reporter to react to the conviction of Cohen for felony campaign finance violations when he paid two women to keep them quiet during the 2016 campaign about alleged extramarital affairs they had with Trump, Hatch said:
“I don’t care. All I can say is he’s doing a good job. I don’t think he was involved in crimes. But even then, you know, you can make anything a crime under the current laws. If you want to, you can blow it way out of proportion, you can do a lot of things.”
In a new statement, Hatch apologized for those comments. Via CNN:
“In an unscheduled hallway interview, I made comments that were irresponsible and a poor reflection on my lengthy record on my dedication to the rule of law. While I don’t believe Michael Cohen is any kind of reliable voice in this process, I have expressed confidence in Bob Mueller numerous times, including to “The Wall Street Journal” that he must be allowed to complete his investigation. At a time when faith in so many of our institutions is an all-time low, I regret speaking imprudently. I don’t believe the president broke the law but one of the core principles of our country is that no one is above that law, and that means anyone that does break the law should face appropriate consequences.”
Earlier this week, late night host Seth Meyers mocked Hatch saying his comments show Republicans don’t care about the rule of law.
Watch the CNN segment below:
