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Washington • Sen. Orrin Hatch says the news media should cut presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump some slack. After all, he's a political newbie.
"Be nice to him. He's a first-time candidate," Hatch told reporters outside the Senate on Tuesday, smiling as he walked. "Be nice to him."
Hatch's office said the comments were made jokingly, and during the exchange with reporters, the senator said he wished the candidate would be more "careful" about what he says.
Hatch, R-Utah, previously had said that Trump's charge that a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against Trump University is unfair because he's a "Mexican" were inappropriate but not racist. U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel was born in Indiana to parents who were born in Mexico.
"My experience with Donald Trump is he doesn't have a prejudiced bone in his body," Hatch told Politico on Monday.
On Tuesday, Hatch, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that it's OK to be critical of judges but "it ought to be done in a formal way."
Trump "is not a racist," Hatch said, "but he does make a lot of outrageous statements."
The senator also indicated political rookies are prone to saying things that get them in trouble.
"Anyone in politics is going to make some stupid blunders," Hatch said. "He'll make some gradual change where he'll realize you've got to be careful what you talk about and you need to be honest at all times but also careful."
Hatch said that he would "prefer" if the types of comments Trump made about the judge didn't happen.
"He's going to get chewed up by the media from time to time because he's going to make mistakes," Hatch said, adding that when Trump is criticized, it's not something he will take sitting down. "That's his nature – if he thinks they're picking on him he just doubles down. It was inappropriate, and I didn't like it."
Hatch had backed two other GOP candidates in the race; first, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and then Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, before both suspended their campaigns. He then said he would back Trump, as did the rest of Utah's members of Congress except Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Mia Love, who have yet to endorse.
Lee, according to a tweet by NBC's Hallie Jackson, said he disagreed with Trump's comments and doesn't support them but then walked away when asked if he would back the candidate.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who has already said he's skipping Trump's crowning at the Republican National Convention but will still back the GOP nominee, said he will sometimes disagree with Trump and this one is a "whopper."
"I totally disagree with his assessment of the qualifications of the judge," Chaffetz said. "You can disagree with his political stances, you can disagree with how he's ruling in the case, but to state that he's unfit because of his heritage is ridiculous, and I totally disagree with that assessment."
Chaffetz said he still supports Trump because he's a "far better candidate" for the White House than likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.