Kellyanne Conway was picked apart by some media outlets Tuesday for putting her feet on the couch in the Oval Office while attempting to take a group photo, something she later said she did not mean to do.
"I was being asked to take a picture in a crowded room with the press behind us," Conway told Lou Dobbs on the Fox Business Network.
"I was asked to take a certain angle and was doing exactly that. I certainly meant no disrespect, I didn't mean to have my feet on the couch."
President Donald Trump met with leaders from the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Oval Office ahead of their listening session with administration officials.
"These are the presidents and other leaders within the historically black college and universities and they came to visit the White House," she said. "Of course, just today, the President signed the executive order on HCBU's, and I had an occasion to speak at length to many of those leaders before that picture, and after that picture, and again today," she continued.
"And I really want to thank so many of them for coming to my defense because they were in the room and they know."
Omarosa Manigault, a top aide to Trump, said the issue was silly and Conway had incredible respect for the Oval Office, according to The Washington Post.
"I saw her taking pictures — it was a very sweet moment, to be honest," Manigault told the Post. "She looked down at the picture after she got it, and I looked at her and said, 'Kellyanne, did you get a good shot?' Because I wanted one for my own records.
"I literally looked at her and said, 'Kellyanne, can you try to get a good shot?' . . . She tried again; she positioned herself to get a better picture. It really was at my encouragement for her to try to capture such an important, historic moment."
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