That’s their story and they’re sticking with it.

Via The Hill:

President Obama has no regrets about using the N-word to make a point during a recent discussion on race, the White House said Monday.

“He does not,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “The president’s use of the word and the reason he used the word could not be more apparent.”

The president’s phrasing renewed a debate over who is allowed to use the word and when it’s appropriate to say.

In a podcast released Monday, the president urged the nation to deal with the enduring problem of racism, saying it has not been “cured” simply because it is no longer acceptable to utter racial slurs publicly. […]

Earnest acknowledged it is “understandably notable” that Obama used the word, a nod to the public debate it has spurred. But he said it helped illustrate a point the president has long made.

“I don’t think he was surprised by” the public reaction, Earnest said. “But I think it has prompted careful consideration of what he said.”