Orrin Hatch apologizes for calling supporters of Obama policy 'dumbass people

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) apologized for a joke he made calling supporters of Obamacare "dumbass people."

Here's the video of his comments:

Here's what he said:

“We finally did away with the individual mandate tax that was established under that wonderful bill called ObamaCare,” Hatch told the audience. “Now, if you didn’t catch on, I was being very sarcastic."

"That was the stupidest, dumbass bill that I’ve ever seen," he said, eliciting some laughter.

“Some of you may have loved it,” he added. “If you do, you are one of the stupidest, dumbass people I’ve ever met. And there are a lot of them up there on Capitol Hill from time to time.”

Then comes the apology

Hatch released a statement Friday apologizing for the vitriolic comments.

"Yesterday, I made a poorly worded joke about Obamacare supporters," the statement read, "a joke that was not reflective of my actual feelings towards my friends on the other side."

"Throughout my term of service, I have always recognized the importance of civility, particularly in engaging with those of different political perspectives," he added. "While I occasionally slip up, I believe that my legislative record reflects my commitment to bipartisanship and civility much more than my flippant, off-the-cuff comment.”

Hatch announced in January that he would be retiring from Congress, which was soon followed by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney announcing his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat.

Here's when Sen. Hatch called for more civility on Capital Hill