Donald Trump insisted Monday that, contrary to the appearance he gave in a CNN interview Sunday, he does, in fact, disavow the endorsement of former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke. In fact, he blames the ruckus on a “lousy earpiece.”

The trouble began when Duke on his radio show urged his listeners to vote for Trump, declaring that a vote for Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz is “really treason to your heritage.”

When asked about the Duke endorsement Friday, Trump quickly, if glibly, renounced it. He continued to do so in interviews and social media. The problem came Sunday morning during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, where, as The Hill reported, Trump “repeatedly told [CNN’s Jake] Tapper he is unaware of the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard’s background and stances.”

“Well, just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke. OK?” Trump said, apparently hearing David Duke’s name well enough to use it his response. “I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know. Did he endorse me, or what’s going on? Because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists.”

A furor immediately erupted. Talk show host Hugh Hewitt, who tangled with Trump in last week’s Texas debate shootout, called Trump’s comments “inexplicable” and noted that Trump “had denounced David Duke two days ago.”

And the AP had this to report: “He hasn’t always claimed ignorance on Duke’s history. In 2000, he wrote a New York Times op-ed explaining why he abandoned the possibility of running for president on the Reform Party ticket. He wrote of an ‘underside’ and ‘fringe element’ of the party, concluding, ‘I leave the Reform Party to David Duke, Pat Buchanan and Lenora Fulani. That is not company I wish to keep.'”

Hewitt told CNN’s Newsroom Monday that “I can’t imagine anybody who wants to be president not knowing who David Duke is.” He said Trump’s comments are a misstep equal to Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” comment of 2012 and even President Gerald Ford’s “Poland is free” assertion during a 1976 debate with Jimmy Carter.

Cruz responded on Twitter, telling Trump, “You’re better than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent.”

Rubio went further: “We cannot be a party who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan,” Rubio said. “Not only is that wrong, it makes him unelectable. How are we going to grow the party if we nominate someone who doesn’t repudiate the Ku Klux Klan.”

Monday morning on NBC’s Today, Trump blamed the messenger and technology. He was doing a remote interview from Florida, Trump explained to hosts Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer. “I sit down and I have a lousy earpiece provided by them,” he said. “You could hardly hear what [Tapper] was saying.” Trump claimed all he heard was “various groups.” “I have no problem disavowing groups, but I at least like to know who they are. It’d be very unfair disavowing a group if they shouldn’t be disavowed.”

Does his explanation square with the actual exchange with Tapper?

Watch this clip of Trump avoiding 3 chances to disavow Duke/KKK and see if you believe his earpiece was the problem. https://t.co/nZ0ZmcHa7F

— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) February 29, 2016

Predictably, Trump turned his wrath on CNN. “I’ve disavowed David Duke all weekend long on Facebook and Twitter, but it’s obviously never enough.” He noted that CNN was at the “major press conference” where he renounced the endorsement, and remembers thinking during the interview, “How many times do I have to continue to disavow people?”

Trump also received support from 2016 rival-turned-supporter Mike Huckabee, who defended on Trump on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “Does anybody think Donald Trump is a racist?” he asked, “I don’t. I mean, I really don’t. I don’t know of anything in his life that indicates that this man has racist tendencies.”

But another allegation is that if he is not a racist, he’s not above playing on racial fears to advance his campaign. According to The Hill “Some have wondered whether Trump did not offer a stronger statement on Sunday because of the upcoming Super Tuesday contests in the South.” Huckabee rejected this argument as well, saying Duke is “reviled” in the South.

Still, Trump is making it easy for critics to pin on him the “racist” label. On Saturday, Trump blamed his troubles with Trump University lawsuit on the hostile “Hispanic” judge overseeing the case.