Liberals were apoplectic when Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway knelt on the couch in the Oval Office to take pictures of the presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) this week.
But at least one Democrat lawmaker took it way too far.
Congressional Black Caucus Leader Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) made a crude and offensive “joke” about the incident at the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner on Wednesday night. It started when Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) defended Conway earlier in the evening:
“Has anyone seen the controversy around Kellyanne Conway and the couch in the Oval Office? Come on, people. You remember the ’90s. That couch has had a whole lot of worse things. Come on now.”
Then came Richmond’s confusing response and “joke”:
“You even mentioned Kellyanne and the picture on the sofa. But I really just want to know what was going on there, because, I won’t tell anybody. And you can just explain to me that — that circumstance, because she really looked kind of familiar there in that position there. But don’t answer. And I don’t want you to refer back to the ’90s.”
Rep. Richmond told IJR’s Benny Johnson immediately following the remarks,
“Hey man, I just said she looked comfortable in that position. I can’t let Tim get away with making a Clinton joke without making one of my own.”
He later sent out a statement to further “clarify” his joke, claiming he meant “familiar” in a different way, but his coy “I won’t tell anybody” and the confirmation right after that he was making a Clinton joke make his intention clear.
Since some people have interpreted my joke to mean something that it didn’t I think it is important to clarify what I meant. Last night was night of levity. Where I grew up saying that someone is looking or acting ‘familiar’ simply means that they are behaving too comfortably.
I decided to use that joke due to the large social media backlash over her inappropriate posture considering there were more than 60 HBCU Presidents in the room.
Also, what is the implication that she was acting too familiar or comfortable about anyway? Is he implying she is comfortable on her knees in the Oval Office servicing President Trump? Disgusting comment any way you interpret it!
Of course, the media has not been covering Richmond’s sexist joke, according to the Daily Caller, even though they’ve found time to castigate other silly Republican lawmaker statements for so-called “sexist” comments:
As the saga carries into its third day, however, The New York Times, ABC News and NBC News have yet to even acknowledge Richmond’s sexist attack on Conway in any of their online coverage. (Just last month, the Times covered two state lawmakers who suggested wives should make their husbands breakfast in bed on Sundays, which the paper’s coverage described as “straight-up sexist.”)
All of this fuss just because Conway was simply trying to get the best photo angle of the group. Many of the HBCU leaders in the room even defended Conway’s conduct in the Oval Office. There is no doubt that this would be headline news for days if it was a Republican making the same comment.
Conway agrees thinks would be different if she were a liberal woman,
“And it is not just if I were a liberal woman, but if I were a pro-abortion one.” She also tweeted, “So-called sisterhood alarmingly silent [on] Cedric Richmond’s Sexist, Unfunny Joke.”
One surprise Kellyanne defender was Chelsea Clinton who called Richmond’s comments “despicable” and called on him to issue a real apology. Chelsea has been utterly failing on Twitter under the Trump Administration, even in tweets directly aimed at Conway, but she should get credit where credit is due for speaking up here.
Conway, at least, appreciated the support of the former first daughter. She tweeted back to Chelsea: “Thank you, @ChelseaClinton. As strong women, as moms to Charlottes…appreciate you speaking out on this.”
The attacks on the Conway photos are also seen as sexist because of the posture of other presidents in the Oval, many of whom also put their feet up on the furniture.
Yeah, I am gonna have to side with @KellyannePolls on this one. pic.twitter.com/EQ14wh4SYM
— Anthony De Rosa (@Anthony) February 28, 2017
Rep. Richmond should apologize – for real this time.
Watch the video of his joke and decide for yourself:
What do you think? Is Rep. Richmond’s joke funny or sexist? Tell us in the comments below!
