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Friday, Mar 8, 2013 10:38 PM UTC

RNC chairman: Karl Rove’s attacks are “a fool’s game”

"These biologically stupid things that people say" are the problem, he said, not the GOP platform [UPDATED]

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Topics: Reince Priebus, RNC, Karl Rove, 2014 elections, Steve King, Iowa,

RNC chairman: Karl Rove's attacks are RNC Chairman Reince Priebus (Credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

Update – March 11, 8:33 a.m.: RNC spokesman Sean Spicer clarified to Salon that Preibus was not referring to Rove’s effort, but rather that engaging in such an effort would be “a fool’s game” for the RNC.

From earlier:

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said that Karl Rove’s plan to target far-right conservatives in the primaries, like potential Iowa Senate candidate Rep. Steve King, is “a fool’s game because you can’t actually predict some of the things that go on.”

“Listen, I don’t think our platform is the issue,” Priebus said, Radio Iowa reports. “I think a lot of times it’s some of these biologically stupid things that people say, you know, that I believe caused a lot of the problems.”

He continued: “Personally, as an RNC [Chair], I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe the party should pick winners and losers in primaries and I think it’s, historically, if you look at it, it’s a bit of a fool’s game because you can’t actually predict some of the things that go on.”

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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