Spicer: I Apologize For ‘Inappropriate and Insensitive’ Holocaust Reference, ‘It Was a Mistake’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer apologized for his earlier “inappropriate and insensitive” comments about the Holocaust and Syria.

Spicer said, “I was obviously trying to make a point about the heinous acts that Assad had made against his own people last week, using chemical weapons and gas. And frankly, I mistakenly used an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which, frankly, there is no comparison. And, for that, I apologize. It was a mistake to do that.”

Spicer further stated his apology was to “anybody who, not just suffered in the Holocaust, or is a descendant of anybody, but, frankly, you know, anyone offended by those comments.”

He later added that he did know that the Nazis used chemical weapons to kill people, and “there’s no attempt to clarify. The point was to try to talk about the use of aircraft as a means by which Assad was using this to gas his people, but it was a mistake to do that.”

Spicer also agreed with anchor Wolf Blitzer’s characterization of his comment as a “blunder.”

Spicer concluded that he does not believe he has a credibility problem, and that his earlier comments do not reflect on the president.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett