White House press secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the media during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, Jan. 12, 2015.

The White House says it erred in not sending a high-level official to an anti-terror march in Paris on Sunday.

More than 40 world leaders attended the rally, which was aimed at showing unity following terror attacks by Islamist militants that left 17 people dead. The Obama administration was represented by the U.S. ambassador to France.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says that despite the failure to send a higher-ranking official, there should be no doubt about the strong relationship the U.S. has with France.

Earnest would not say what led to the White House’s decision to send only the ambassador.

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