White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about the Mary Robinson Medal of Freedom selection today at his daily briefing by ABC News’ Jake Tapper. Here’s his response, a similar message to what the White House said last week — but with an emphasis on Robinson being a "prominent crusader" for women’s rights. That’s something that wasn’t mentioned in the White House bio sent out with her selection last week, other than the fact that she was the first female president of Ireland.:
“Mary Robinson was the first female president of Ireland, and she is somebody whom we are honoring as a prominent crusader of women’s rights in Ireland and throughout the world. There are statements that obviously that she has made that the president doesn’t agree with, and that’s probably true for a number of the people that the president is recognizing for their lifetime contributions.”
