GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) is walking back comments from earlier this week, when he told CNN he didn’t care about federal prosecutors linking President Trump to crimes committed during the 2016 campaign by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

"Earlier this week in an unplanned hallway interview with CNN, I made comments about allegations against the President that were irresponsible and a poor reflection on my lengthy record of dedication to the rule of law," Hatch, who is retiring in January, said in a statement on Friday.

He added that with Americans’ "faith in so many of our institutions is at an all-time low, I regret speaking imprudently."

"I don’t believe the President broke the law, but one of the core principles of our country is that no one is above the law. That means anyone who does break the law should face appropriate consequences," Hatch continued.

Asked earlier this week if he was concerned the filings from prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York implicated the president, Hatch told CNN: "I don't care, all I can say is he's doing a good job as president."

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