Rick Santorum's press secretary Alice Stewart told MSNBC that she misspoke when she described President Obama's policies as "radical Islamic.”
Stewart made the comment on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on Monday while defending Santorum's speech over the weekend, where he said that Obama's policies were based on “some phony theology. Not a theology based on the Bible.”
Stewart said the former Pennsylvania senator had been “talking about radical environmentalists” and was not questioning the president’s faith.
"There is a type of theological secularism when it comes to 'global warmists' in this country. That's what he was referring to. He was referring to the president's policies in terms of the radical Islamic policies the president has, specifically in terms of the energy exploration," Stewart said.
Host Andrea Mitchell reported later during her show Monday that Stewart called to say she misspoke during the interview.
"She says she slipped," said Mitchell. "I did not hear it or I would have caught her and tried to get a correction at the moment. I really frankly did not hear her use the word ‘Islamic,’ but the tape tells the tale."
Santorum’s campaign has faced criticism over his remarks, which Democrats claim were questioning the president’s religious faith.
Top campaign adviser and former White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the remarks "over the line" Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"It's just time to get rid of this mindset in our politics that if we disagree we have to question character and faith," Gibbs said.
Stewart told MSNBC Monday that Gibbs had taken Santorum's comments "out of context."
"He wasn't questioning the president's character. He wasn't questioning the president's religion," she said.
Santorum also has attempted to clarify his remarks, saying Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he "wasn't suggesting the president was not a Christian."
