President Obama on Friday issued an apology for making a comment that Kamala Harris of California was “by far the best-looking attorney general in the country,” during a fundraising trip.
“Second of all, you have to be careful to, first of all, say 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, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake. She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country -- Kamala Harris is here,” Obama said in full while he was speaking at a function in Atherton, Calif, according to a transcript.
But White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters Friday that Harris and Obama “are old friends, and good friends, and he did not in any way want to diminish the attorney general’s accomplishments and capabilities,” according to Reuters.
Carney said Obama issued an apology for creating a distraction.
“He fully recognizes the challenges women continue to face in the workplace, and that they should not be judged based on appearance,” Carney told the press.
Some media outlets criticized Obama’s remarks. The Grio said that the “best-looking” remark “crossed the line.” It added, “Harris’ physical appearance is not relevant, in terms of how she does her job. Harris is not a fashion model; she’s the chief law enforcement officer in the state of California and should be judged on her credentials and nothing more.”
And New York magazine wrote that Obama is in “need of gender-sensitivity training.”
“It’s not a compliment. And for a president who has become a cultural model for many of his supporters in so many other ways, the example he’s setting here is disgraceful,” the magazine said.
