WHITE HOUSE: Top Dem Senator's Shock Claim About GOP Leader Came From A 'Misunderstanding' [View all]

[FarCenter]

The White House said Thursday that it contributed to a "misunderstanding" that led the Senate's No. 2 Democrat to accuse a "House GOP leader" of telling President Barack Obama that he "cannot even stand to look at" him.

Durbin claimed in a weekend Facebook post that a House GOP leader told President Barack Obama that the leader "cannot even stand to look at" him during a recent negotiation over the government shutdown and raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Both the White House and House Republican leadership refuted the quote after it gained traction on Wednesday. On Thursday, a White House official said that there was a "miscommunication" when the White House provided a readout of the meeting to Senate Democrats.

“While the quote attributed to a Republican lawmaker in the House GOP meeting with the President is not accurate, there was a miscommunication when the White House read out that meeting to Senate Democrats, and we regret the misunderstanding," the White House official said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/dick-durbin-quote-obama-gop-leader-cannot-stand-look-at-you-2013-10