White House officials on Wednesday defended first lady Michelle Obama’s decision not to wear a head scarf in Saudi Arabia this week, saying her attire is consistent with what other American women have worn while in the kingdom.
White House principal deputy press secretary Eric Schultz pointed out that Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and others also have not worn head scarves during trips to Saudi Arabia. The Obamas visited the country to pay respects to the late King Abdullah, who died last week.
Mr. Schultz said the first lady enjoyed her time in Riyadh despite the fact her face was blurred out by state TV and the new Saudi king reportedly did not acknowledge her when greeting the president.
“I will say the first lady very much enjoyed her visit to India and Saudi Arabia. She feels she was warmly welcomed by the king there,” Mr. Schultz said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, tweeted “kudos” to Mrs. Obama for refusing to wear the “Sharia-mandated” head scarf in Saudi Arabia, though the White House wouldn’t say whether the first lady was trying to make any kind of political statement with her wardrobe choice.
“I don’t have a response to a tweet from Sen. Ted Cruz,” Mr. Schultz said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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