Washington (CNN) The former head of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the agency tasked with caring for unaccompanied migrant children, appeared to concede he didn't raise concerns shared by colleagues about the controversial "zero tolerance" immigration policy with superiors.

The response from Scott Lloyd, now a Health and Human Services senior adviser, was prompted by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the policy.

"Did you ever say to the administration, 'this is a bad idea, here's what my child welfare experts have told us. We need to stop this policy.' Did you once say that to anybody above you?" Jayapal asked.

"To answer your last question. I did not say those words," Lloyd replied.

The question stemmed from a hearing earlier this month that was also attended by Jonathan White, the coordinating official of Department of Health and Human Services' family reunification efforts. White said at the time that not only that he wouldn't have supported the policy but that he had raised concerns prior to its implementation.

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