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| U.S. first lady Melania Trump smiles as she visits the Salvation Army Clapton centre, as the NATO summit takes place in Watford, in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. Reuters |
Washington - A comment about US President Donald Trump's teenage son during an impeachment hearing has prompted a backlash from Republicans and even the first lady, Melania Trump.
Pamela Karlan, a law professor from Stanford University, was trying to drive home a point about the difference between monarchs and democratic government when she invoked Trump's son, Barron.
"While the president can name his son Barron, he can't make him a baron," Karlan said, referring to the president's youngest child, who is now 13 years old.
The president's wife took to Twitter to express her disapproval.
"A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics. Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and using a child to do it," Melania Trump wrote.
While the president is known for being abrasive on Twitter - often bashing his critics' physical appearances and dolling out school-yard-bully nicknames - it is uncommon for the first lady to issue criticism on the social media platform.
White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham added her two cents, saying: "The worst part is it was obviously rehearsed beforehand."
Grisham also used the opportunity to slam the impeachment inquiry in a separate tweet.
"Classless move by a Democratic 'witness'," Grisham said. "Prof Karlan uses a teenage boy who has nothing to do with this joke of a hearing (and deserves privacy) as a punchline."
Witnesses called by the Democrats - all constitutional legal scholars - spent parts of the day detailing how the US system of government was designed to prevent the emergence of a king-like leader who was above the law and beyond reproach.
Conservative journalists and commentators also took to social media in droves to condemn Karlan and accuse the Democrat-led inquiry of illegitimacy.
Karlan was one of four legal scholars to testify in front of the House Judiciary?Committee as the second phase of the inquiry kicked off on Wednesday. (dpa)
