Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, defended President Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama.
“I’m fiercely protective of them, obviously,” said Hager, a Today Show correspondent.
“I don’t think that it’s easy. It’s not a job that they, you know, wanted. … I had a hard time [growing up in the White House], but it’s also a privilege. ... They’re great girls. ... They’ve done an incredible job,” she said.
Hager was asked on the show if she had ever “fooled around” in the White House. “A lady never talks,” she said.
“Maybe there was a little hanky-panky,” she added. “There was maybe a kiss on the roof.”
Both Malia and Sasha were panned by a Republican staffer over the weekend in a Facebook post that went viral. The staffer, Elizabeth Lauten, later resigned from her position after she apologized.
She originally wrote: “Dear Sasha and Malia, I get your [sic] both in those awful teen years but you’re a part of the First Family. Try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. 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.”
Later, she posted: “I want to take a moment and apologize for a post I made on Facebook earlier today judging Sasha and Malia Obama at the annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony.”
“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,” she added. “After many hours of prayer, talking to my parents, and re-reading my words online, I can see more clearly just how hurtful my words were. 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, and I pledge to learn and grow (and I assure you I have) from this experience.”
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