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> Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican who served as general counsel to former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., said on NBC's Meet The Press on Sunday that letters leaked to the D.C.-based Daily Caller — where Huntsman praised President Barack Obama's leadership — may not be as hurtful as some have suggested.
Huntsman, according to a letter leaked to the Daily Caller, heralded Obama as a "remarkable leader" and thanked the president for allowing him to serve him as the U.S. ambassador to China; such a letter may not go over well in a Republican presidential primary should Huntsman decide on a White House bid as he's teased.
"Look, that letter, coupled with the fact that he was a member of this administration, in the sense that he was the U.S. ambassador to China during President Obama's time in office, might not be a huge benefit to him," Lee said on Meet The Press. "On the other hand, I, I don't think it'll be all that surprising to anyone that, as he's writing a letter to someone who, who was his boss for a significant amount of time, if he gives him some praise for exercising some leadership, that may not be the death knell."
Lee, a tea party darling, has said he's not endorsing in the presidential race yet and has supported ex-Massachusett's Gov. Mitt Romney in the past.
— Thomas Burr Twitter.com/thomaswburr