Yes, maybe the guy said what he said because he thought it was the right thing to say. As simple as that. Maybe there wasn't an ulterior motive, maybe we can take his stated position on the issue at face value.
I know that's hard to do. We live in a world where we rarely take anything at face value. We look for the secret motive. We wonder where's the money? Who get's paid off? What cabal of people, met in which dark basement, and signed off on the statement?
But maybe none of that happened. Maybe the guy just stated the obvious. I know it's too simple, and if it's simple, you think: simple-minded. But maybe sometimes people just say and do the right thing because it's the right thing to say or do. Maybe that is the explanation...