White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday he was “surprised” by comments made by a Republican congressional staffer criticizing the president’s daughters and their outfits.
“I was taken aback that there was some political operative on Capitol Hill who did use the occasion of the Thanksgiving themed event to criticize members of the first family,” Earnest said. “I was a little surprised about that.”
{mosads}Elizabeth Lauten, the communications director to Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), resigned Monday amid outrage stemming from a post to her Facebook account, in which she implored the Obama daughters to “try showing a little class” after they rolled their eyes during the annual turkey pardon.
“At least respect the part you play,” she continued. “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 told the Obama daughters to “dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.”
Earnest said he did not have a specific reaction to her resignation, but that an apology posted to her Facebook account “was an appropriate thing for her to do.”
He also said that as a spokesperson, “we choose our words very carefully and we try to be mindful of how these words and messages will be received,” adding the incident was “a reminder” of the importance of doing so.