BEIJING (AP) — A scandal that toppled one of China’s most powerful politicians dealt a heavy blow to the reputation of the nation and its ruling Communist Party, a senior official said Monday, in an unusually candid appraisal of China’s messiest political upheaval in years.

Zhang Dejiang, who replaced the disgraced Bo Xilai as leader of the southwestern city of Chongqing, said party officials need to study the case, take lessons and support the national leadership’s handling of it.