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| FILE - This Nov. 16,2012 file photo shows California Attorney General Kamala Harris speaking during a news conference in Los Angeles. President Barack Obama praised Harris for more than her smarts and toughness at a Democratic Party event Thursday, April 4, 2013. The president also commended Harris for being "the best-looking attorney general" during a Democratic fundraising lunch in the Silicon Valley. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- President Barack Obama has apologized to California Attorney
General Kamala Harris for causing a stir when he called her "the
best-looking attorney general" at a Democratic fundraiser they attended
together this week.
A spokesman for Harris
said she had a great conversation with Obama and strongly supports him
but would not say whether she had accepted the president's apology.
Obama
apologized to Harris by telephone Thursday night after returning from
two days of fundraising in California, White House press secretary Jay
Carney said.
At a fundraiser in Silicon Valley
earlier that day, Obama raised eyebrows when he said Harris "happens to
be, by far, the best-looking attorney general in the country. It's
true! C'mon." He prefaced the remark by saying she is "brilliant and she
is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in
anybody who is administering the law."
Harris was present and had addressed the crowd before the president spoke.
The
"best-looking" comment instantly lit up news blogs and websites, with
some highlighting it as an example of the hurdles working women still
face.
Carney and Harris' spokesman, Gil Duran, both noted that Obama and Harris are longtime friends.
"He
called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments,"
Carney told reporters Friday. "He did not want in any way to diminish
the attorney general's professional accomplishments and her
capabilities."
He noted that Obama also commented on Harris' smarts.
Carney
went on to say that Obama "fully recognizes the challenge women
continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged
based on appearance."
In an emailed statement, Duran noted the longstanding ties between Obama and Harris.
"They had a great conversation yesterday, and she strongly supports him," he said.
Duran
later said he would not comment beyond the statement. He declined to
say whether Harris had accepted the president's apology or whether she
was offended by his comment.
Harris had scheduled no public appearances Friday and was not expected to comment herself.
Harris
and Obama have campaigned for each other in prior elections. Some
pundits also have described her as a female version of Obama because of
her stage presence and because, like the president, she is of mixed
race.
