Jim Lehrer, Debate Moderator & PBS Host: "My Job Was Stay Out Of The Way" (VIDEO)

Jim Lehrer has been negatively panned for being too passive when he moderated the first presidential debate for the 2012 presidential election.

Lehrer, 78, was criticized for being too lax: one editor wrote he let Romney "steamroll" him while "Fox News Sunday's" Chris Wallace reportedly stated he felt Lehrer "seemed to lose control of the debate."   

Lehrer released a statement through a PBS spokesperson on Thursday, Oct. 4 in response to all the backlash he has been receiving. He stated his job was to simply "to stay out of the way," and that he "had no problems with doing so."

"I thought the format accomplished its purpose, which was to facilitate direct, extended exchanges between the candidates about issues of substance," Lehrer said in statement to Politico. "Part of my moderator mission was to stay out of the way of the flow and I had no problems with doing so. My only real personal frustration was discovering that ninety minutes was not enough time in that more open format to cover every issue that deserved attention."

TMZ caught up with Lehrer at Reagan National Airport. They asked Lehrer if he felt "disrespected" by both candidates at the presidential debate.

"I didn't expect much. I didn't have a lot of expectations," said Lehrer.

Lehrer is the Executive Editor for PBS' Newshour. The 2012 presidential debate is the twelfth one Lehrer has moderated and the debate was held at the University of Denver in Colorado.

He also moderated President Obama's first presidential debate in 2008 against Republican nominee John McCain.

Lehrer announced he would retire from moderating debates in 2008 after sitting in for President Obama and McCain, but he reportedly made the exception this year due to persistent requests by the Commission on Presidential Debates.