Trump Aide Conway Draws Ire For Kneeling On White House sofa
Washington
(AFP) - US President Donald Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has
come under fire after a picture of her casually kneeling on a couch in
the Oval Office was widely shared on social media.
US President Donald Trump's senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) checks
her phone after taking a photo as Donald Trump hosts leaders of
historically black universities and colleges in the Oval Office on
February 27, 2017 (AFP Photo/Brendan SMIALOWSKI)
In
an image captured by an AFP photographer, Conway appears on the couch
with her shoes on as Trump poses for a photo with leaders of
historically black colleges and universities.
Wall
Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens was among those taking aim at
Conway, suggesting that aides under previous administrations would have
elicited even greater outcry.
"If
Rice or Jarrett had sat like this in Oval Office, conservatives would
have screamed themselves hoarse for weeks. Now we own trashy," he wrote,
referring to previous presidential aides.
Trump's predecessor Barack Obama repeatedly took flak for photos in which he appeared to be relaxing.
Critics also chastised Obama for unbuttoning the previous Oval Office dress code that called for a suit jacket and a tie.
The
image of Conway trended widely on social media, with several Twitter
users berating her for what they described as a lack of respect in the
Oval Office.
This is not the first time Conway has found herself at the centre of a storm.
She
recently came under fire for plugging the fashion brand of the
president's daughter. The head of the US Office of Government Ethics
urged the White House to investigate Conway after the incident, saying
she should face disciplinary action.
She
also famously coined the term "alternative facts" and referred to a
"Bowling Green massacre" -- which never happened -- during an interview.
Conway
later tweeted that she meant to say "Bowling Green terrorists" --
referring to two Iraqi men who were indicted in 2011 for trying to send
money and weapons to Al-Qaeda, and using improvised explosive devices
against US soldiers in Iraq.
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