Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) regrets calling Vice President Kamala Harris a DEI — diversity, equity, and inclusion — hire, but also said that his assertion was “the truth.”

Burchett’s initial remarks came as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reportedly told House Republicans to “focus on policy not personality” when attacking Harris, who became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president this week after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed her. The Tennessee Republican expressed regret over his comments on SiriusXM’s The Laura Coates Show on Wednesday.

“Do I wish I’d said it? No, but it was the truth,” Burchett said on Wednesday.

Burchett referred to Harris as “our DEI vice president” in a post on X on Monday and also reiterated the title while speaking to CNN that day.

“The incompetency level is at an all-time high in Washington. The media propped up this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then dumped him for our DEI vice president,” Burchett posted on X.

Biden himself has invoked Harris as a key example when celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within his administration, including during a campaign speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in May.

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“To me, the values of diversity, equality, inclusion are literally — and this is not kidding — the core strengths of America. That’s why I’m proud to have the most diverse administration in history that taps into the full talents of our country. And it starts at the top with the vice president,” Biden said.

Harris is now slated to be at the top of the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket in November after Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Harris. She is the first female, black, and South Asian vice president in the country’s history.