'It fell flat': Former RNC head blames GOP handlers for 'over-coaching' Katie Britt

Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele came to the defense of Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) after her disastrous State of the Union response that was widely mocked by both Democrats and Republicans.

The freshman senator from Alabama was deluged with criticism for the dramatic speech which fluctuated from bright smiles to near tears — with even supporters of Donald Trump piling on.

Appearing with MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell, Steele claimed Britt deserved better from the people around her who prepared her for her first major national exposure.

ALSO READ: 'What a piece of work': Marjorie Greene's 'childish' SOTU response trashed by Senate Dems

'It is a good example of being over-coached," he told to Mitchell. "I've seen Senator Britt in other circumstances and situations and she is far better than what we saw last night. It was actually a shame that she was put in that position by the team around her."

"Just again trying to appeal to white suburban women, which is the whole kitchen tableau, which wound up offending a lot of women because it sort of created a backdrop or a subtext that really fell flat.," he continued. "I thought she, you know, was really put in an awkward position."

"I've argued for probably the last 15, 20 years this whole response to the State of the Union is a farce, it is a joke, it is not good for both Democrats and Republicans," he elaborated. "Everybody gets, you know, slammed for this. Just send up a statement and move on, because everyone fixates on the performance and not the words. And the response is muted simply because it is the president you are responding to who is standing in the well of the Congress — you are not going to beat that."

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