WH press secretary Sean Spicer admits he 'let the president down' on Hitler gaffe
The White House press secretary is continuing his apology tour.
— -- White House press secretary Sean Spicer is continuing an apology tour for his comments during Tuesday’s briefing comparing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's actions to Adolf Hitler during World War II.
"It's disappointing because I've let the president down," a subdued Spicer said today during a panel discussion at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
"On both a personal level and professional level, that will definitely go down as not a very good day in my history," Spicer admitted.
Spicer apologized today for his comments during Tuesday’s White House press briefing where he attempted to compare Assad's actions with those of Hitler. Spicer had also apologized Tuesday night in an interview with CNN.
"We didn't even use chemical weapons in World War II," Spicer said Tuesday in response to a question about Russia's alliance with Syria. "You had ... someone as despicable as Hitler, who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons."
Later in the press briefing, Spicer attempted to clarify his initial statement but complicated matters when he referred to Nazi concentration camps as "Holocaust centers" and said Hitler "was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing."
Spicer said at today's panel that he had made a "mistake" and that there's "no comparing atrocities."
"I made a mistake. There's no other way to say it," Spicer said. "I got into a topic that I shouldn't of and I screwed up."
Spicer shared that he had not spoken to Trump this morning, but would not comment on any possible private conversations he had with the president or other White House officials on the matter.
"I hope people understand that we all make mistakes. I hope I show that I understand that I did that and that I sought people's forgiveness because I screwed up," he said, calling his gaffe "inexcusable and reprehensible."
The discussion, which was part of an event titled "The President and The Press: The First Amendment in the First 100 Days," extended beyond his apology and touched on a wide array of topics, including Syria, North Korea, the relationship with the media and how he feels about his job.
"I love it," Spicer said of his job. "That is probably one of the things people say all the time. I do believe it's an honor to have this job. It's a privilege."
Related Topics
Related Stories
ABC News Live