Mayor Emanuel Walks Back Comments About Governor's Wife

(CBS) -- Mayor Emanuel has backed away from comments that seemed to drag the state's first lady into his ongoing feud with her husband, Gov. Bruce Rauner.

WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports.

Last week, angry over Rauner's veto of a city police fire and pension bill, Mayor Emanuel asked a radio reporter rhetorically: "Is it any accident his own wife's organization sued him?"

Diana Rauner heads the Ounce of Prevention Fund, an early childhood education group that has joined a lawsuit over the state budget impasse.

A reporter asked the mayor if he went too far.

Emanuel sounded a little contrite.

"I should have noted the Ounce of Prevention (specifically), and not the first lady. That I own and I'm responsible for," the mayor said.

Emanuel's remarks came after lawmakers helped  him by overriding Rauner's veto of the police and fire pension bill.