GOP boss Michael Steele says he and Barack Obama have one thing in common: It's tough being black (New York Daily News)

Image via Wikipedia

BY Michael Mcauliff AND Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

April 5th 2010

Beleaguered GOP boss Michael Steele misplayed "the race card" by claiming he and President Obama are held to a higher standard because they're black, a White House spokesman said Monday.

Steele has been under merciless criticism after revelations his Republican National Committee squandered thousands on jets, limos and questionable fund-raisers, including a $2,000 bash at a West Hollywood, Calif., club featuring lesbian bondage acts.

Steele drew the White House's attention after he claimed he's being treated unfairly because he's black, like Obama.

"The honest answer is, 'Yes,'" said Steele, answering the question on ABC's "Good Morning America."

"Barack Obama has a slimmer margin [of error]. A lot of folks do," he said. "It's a different role for me to play and others to play and that's just the reality of it."

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VIDEO: Steele On Nightclub Charges: 'I Was Very Angry' (Talking Points Memo)

RNC boss Michael Steele, image via Wikipedia

By Rachel Slajda
April 5, 2010

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, in his first interview since the committee was caught spending $2,000 at a bondage-themed nightclub in L.A., told Good Morning America that he was "very angry" when he found out about the charges.

"I was very angry, and we dealt with it. We got to the bottom of it, the employee was summarily dismissed for going against our internal policies in finance," Steele said. He added that the committee was limiting what kind of events its finance department could host.

"When you have the White House and you have both houses of Congress, that's no longer the standard that we've been trying to get them to adjust to. A lot of our donors, our major donors, are used to a particular type of an event. We've been scaling those back," he said.

He made no signal that he would resign.

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