Utah U.S. Senator Mike Lee defended a batch of leaked letters sent from former Utah governor Jon Huntsman to President Obama following his appointment as U.S. ambassador to China.
Mr. Huntsman, according to a letter leaked to the Daily Caller, referred to Mr. Obama as a “remarkable leader,” thanking the newly elected president for allowing him to serve him as the U.S. ambassador to China.
“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,” Mr. Lee said on NBC’s Meet The Press.
Mr. Lee, the freshman U.S. senator from Utah, is seen as a rising star in the Republican party and his defense of his former boss comes as Mr. Huntsman prepares to return to the United States, possibly in preparation for a run for president. The former Utah Republican governor offered his resignation earlier this year, refusing to say whether he plans to enter the 2012 election, which could pit him against Mr. Obama.
Mr. Lee says he does not plan on endorsing a candidate in the 2012 Republican presidential election, however he supported former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in 2008.
