WASHINGTON — An aide to a Republican congressman resigned Monday
after her Facebook post criticizing President Barack Obama's daughters touched
off a backlash.
Elizabeth Lauten, communications director to Congressman Stephen
Fincher, said 16-year-old Malia Obama and her sister Sasha, 13, should have
shown more "class" at a turkey-pardoning ceremony last week at the
White House.
Addressing her comments directly to the Obama girls, Lauten wrote
that they should "respect the part you play," and added: "Then
again your mother and father don't respect their positions very much, or the
nation for that matter, so I'm guessing you're coming up a little short in the
'good role model' department."
Lauten also urged the Obama girls to "dress like you deserve
respect, not a spot at a bar."
Lauten later apologized for the comments and deleted the original
post, which drew harsh criticism across social media.
Jessica Carter, chief of staff for Fincher, said Monday that
Lauten resigned. Carter had no additional comment on a personnel matter.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was surprised that a
congressional staffer would use a Thanksgiving-themed event to criticize the first
family, adding that it's "pretty much common sense" that the first
daughters should be off-limits to criticism.
Earnest said the incident is a reminder that people who frequently
speak in public need to choose their words carefully and be mindful of how
their words will be perceived.
After Lauten's post became the topic of conversation on a variety
websites, she issued an apology, saying "many hours of prayer,"
conversations with her family and a re-reading of her words made her reconsider
the post.
"When I first posted on Facebook I reacted to an article and
I quickly judged the two young ladies in a way that I would never have wanted
to be judged myself as a teenager," Lauten told The Commercial Appeal of
Memphis in an email. "Please know, those judgmental feelings truly have no
place in my heart. Furthermore, I'd like to apologize to all of those who I
have hurt and offended with my words."
Sean Spicer, communications director for the Republican National
Committee, tweeted Monday that "children, especially the first daughters,
are off limits."
But while Lauten's comments were "inappropriate and
insensitive, the mainstream media's coverage of this story is appalling,"
Spicer said, adding that in more than 20 years in politics, he has "never
seen one of the countless inappropriate comments by Democrats ever covered to a
fraction of this" remark by a previously unknown staffer.
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