WASHINGTON — White House officials are pushing back on a report that first lady Michelle Obama said her life is “hell,” flatly contradicting a new book purportedly written in collaboration with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
According to an account in the British media, the book says Michelle Obama complained about her life in the White House during a private dinner with the French first couple.
The book quotes her as saying, in response to a question about being first lady: “Don’t ask! It’s hell. I can’t stand it!”
Not so, according to the White House.
“The first lady never said that,” said spokeswoman Katie McCormick Lelyveld.
The White House also referred reporters to the French Embassy for clarification. A spokesman said Bruni-Sarkozy had distanced herself from the book, titled “Carla and the Ambitious,” and that the words attributed to Michelle Obama were never uttered.
In case anyone missed it, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs sent the French statement to his more than 95,000 followers on Twitter.
