Release Of Draft Immigration Bill A 'Mistake', Says Former Obama Adviser

A former top adviser to the president said Monday that the White House had made a "mistake" in distributing a draft bill on immigration reform, as Republicans attacked the leaked blueprint as an attempt to sideline bipartisan input.

"The mistake here was to disseminate it so widely within the administration that it got leaked," David Axelrod said, speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "And I'm sure if they could they'd take that back."

Republicans reacted angrily over the weekend to the revelation that the White House was passing around its own immigration legislation. Senator Marco Rubio, part of a so-called "gang of eight" which is leading work on the issue, said the White House had not consulted Congress on the draft. "It's a mistake for the White House to draft immigration legislation without seeking input from Republican members of Congress," Rubio said in a statement. "If actually proposed, the President's bill would be dead on arrival in Congress."
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