Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) tore into CNN’s David Axelrod David AxelrodThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates GOP hunts for leverage in revived COVID-19 talks Pelosi says there shouldn't be any debates between Biden and Trump MORE for saying his daughter, outgoing White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sarah Elizabeth SandersSarah Sanders on Trump's reported war dead criticism: 'Those comments didn't happen' Sarah Sanders memoir reportedly says Trump joked she should hook up with Kim Jong Un McEnany stamps her brand on White House press operation MORE Sanders, will be remembered as “the spokesperson for a habitual liar.”

Huckabee told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum that he was “shocked and surprised” at the former top Obama campaign adviser’s comments before claiming that CNN “pay[s] people to hate President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE.”

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“I’m really shocked and surprised that he would go there to that degree. But again, he’s a CNN contributor. What is he gonna do?” Huckabee said. “That’s what they pay them to do, so I guess he earned his paycheck on that particular segment.”

Huckabee's remarks came after Axelrod slammed Sanders's legacy during an appearance on CNN, claiming she will be remembered for “defending the indefensible and not being truthful with the American people.”

“In this job, she was called upon to choose between her fidelity to Trump and her fidelity to the truth, and she chose Trump,” Axelrod said after Sanders announced her resignation.

Huckabee fired back, saying, “People who don’t like Donald Trump don’t like my daughter.”

“And it’s not that they don’t like her because most of them don’t even know her,” he said. “They just don’t like President Trump, and that’s unfortunate because a lot of us do like him, and we’re grateful for what he’s doing.”

Sanders announced her departure from the Trump White House late Thursday afternoon, marking the end of a rocky run as Trump’s top spokeswoman. Sanders, one of the longest-serving members in the Trump administration, often battled with the press corps and faced numerous accusations about her credibility.