Kellyanne Conway believes the news media would be more outraged about a Democratic congressman’s crude joke that the White House staffer looks “familiar” with being on her knees if she were a pro-abortion woman, she told The Daily Caller, adding that she believed the joke was sexist. 
 
 Asked over text if she thought there would be more media outrage about the comment if she were a liberal woman, Conway told The Daily Caller, “Yes.” She added: “And it is not just if I were a liberal woman, but if I were a pro-abortion one.” 
 
 “I really just want to know what was going on there, because, you know, I won’t tell anybody. And you can just explain to me that circumstance, because she really looked kind of familiar in that position there. But, don’t answer, and I don’t want you to refer back to the 1990s,” Democratic Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond said at a Washington Press Club Foundation Dinner on Wednesday. 
 
 “Since some people have interpreted my joke to mean something that it didn’t I think it is important to clarify what I meant. Last night was a night of levity. Where I grew up saying that someone is looking or acting ‘familiar’ simply means that they are behaving too comfortably,” Richmond told TheDC in a statement. 
 
 Conway said Richmond has not apologized to her for the crude comment. “I notice he did not apologize, he tried to clarify,” Conway said of Richmond’s claim that the joke wasn’t meant to be sexual. 
 
 WATCH: 
 
 GOP Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel also fired back at Richmond, calling the remark “disgusting and offensive.” 
 
 “A snarky joke for you is just a reminder of the demeaning comments women hear every single day. And trust me, it happens to all women,” McDaniel said, adding: “I’d suggest using Women’s History Month to lift us up instead of knocking us down.” 
 
 Conway also pushed back against the idea that there was anything disrespectful about the photo of her kneeling on the couch while taking a picture of President Trump with the presidents of historically black colleges. 
 
 “I helped usher in those 60+ HBCU Presidents after speaking with them in The Roosevelt room. I was taking pics and texting the pics to [the college presidents],” Conway told TheDC. “MANY of them have defended me on radio and social media.” 
 
 Conway also pointed to a Washington Post article where Trump aide Omarosa Manigault spoke up on behalf of Conway. 
 
 “I saw her taking pictures — it was a very sweet moment, to be honest,” Manigault said to 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.” 
 
 Johnny Taylor, president of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, spoke highly of the meeting with Trump afterwards, calling it “a significant and a positive first step in what we hope to be a productive working relationship” with the Trump administration. 
 
 Conway left open the possibility that she “may issue a statement” on Richmond’s joke. 
 
 Follow Hasson on Twitter ||||| U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond drew heat Thursday for a comment he made about a top aide to President Donald Trump that many people considered an offensive sexual innuendo. 
 
 But Richmond said his remark — which prompted the office of Gov. John Bel Edwards, a fellow Democrat, to issue a statement asking for an apology from the congressman — was misinterpreted. 
 
 Richmond, a New Orleans Democrat and newly elected chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, made the controversial statement at the annual Washington Press Club Foundation's congressional dinner on Wednesday. 
 
 The subject was Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to the president, who was captured in a widely publicized photo kneeling on a sofa in the White House Oval Office. An earlier speaker at the dinner made reference to the photo. 
 
 "You even mentioned Kellyanne and the picture on the sofa," Richmond said. "But I really just want to know what was going on there, because, I won't tell anybody. And you can just explain to me that — that circumstance, because she really looked kind of familiar there in that position there." 
 
 "But don't answer," Richmond was quoted as saying. "And, I don't want you to refer back to the '90s," he said. 
 
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 In a statement released by his office, Richmond said "Since some people have interpreted my joke to mean something that it didn't I think it is important to clarify what I meant. 
 
 "Last night was a night of levity," he said. "Where I grew up, saying that something is looking or acting 'familiar' simply means that they are behaving too comfortably." 
 
 Richmond added: "I decided to use that joke due to the large social media backlash over her inappropriate posture considering there were more than 60 HBCU presidents in the room." 
 
 Asked if the congressman wanted to comment, a spokesman said the statement clarified Richmond's intent. 
 
 Richard Carbo, communications director for Edwards, said the governor believes Richmond should make amends. 
 
 "Without question Gov. Edwards thinks Congressman Richmond should apologize," Carbo said in a statement. "The governor did not find the congressman's comments funny or appropriate." 
 
 Edwards is in the midst of trying to land $2 billion in federal recovery aid on top of $1.7 billion the federal government has provided after last year's summer and spring floods. 
 
 The comments also sparked pointed criticism Thursday from some Republicans. 
 
 State Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Houma and vice-chair of the Louisiana Republican Party, GOP national committeewoman Lenar Whitney and Gena Gore, president of the Louisiana Federation of Republican Women, also called for Richmond to issue an apology. 
 
 "Yesterday, Congressman Cedric Richmond made a deeply offensive remark regarding Kellyanne Conway, and he owes her a sincere and prompt apology," the trio said in a statement. "Using inappropriate sexual innuendos to demean women is sexism at its worse. Given that March is Women’s History Month, Congressman Richmond’s remarks about the first woman to successfully manage a U.S. presidential campaign are especially disgusting." 
 
 Conway told The Daily Caller that she considered the comments sexist. 
 
 She said she believes the news media would be more outraged about a Democratic congressman’s crude joke that a White House staffer looks “familiar” being on her knees if she were pro-abortion rights. 
 
 Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, posted a message to Richmond on Twitter that says, "You may think this is funny, but it's not. It's disgusting & offensive." 
 
 The Washington Post said that before Richmond's remark, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott made a similar one. 
 
 "Has anyone seen the controversy around Kellyanne Conway and the couch in the Oval Office?" he said. "Come on people. You remember the '90s. That couch has had a whole lot of worse things." 
 
 Scott is a South Carolina Republican. 
 
 The picture that included Conway was taken during an Oval Office gathering of leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, known as HBCUs. 
 
 The photo sparked complaints from some on Twitter that it showed a lack of respect for the office. ||||| In yet another example of why the Trump administration has such heartburn in dealing with the media, President Donald Trump met with a about sixty presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Oval Office on Monday, yet the media focused on Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway taking pictures of the meeting while positioned on an Oval Office couch. 
 
 AFP posted only one photo from the meeting, focused on Conway, with the caption, “Kellyanne Conway checks her phone after taking a photo of President Donald Trump and leaders of black universities, colleges in Oval Office” 
 
 Kellyanne Conway checks her phone after taking a photo of President Donald Trump and leaders of black universities, colleges in Oval Office pic.twitter.com/MgVhCoJFuC — AFP news agency (@AFP) February 28, 2017 
 
 The AFP photo was retweeted by CNN’s Jake Tapper. 
 
 Jon Passantino, Deputy News Director for Buzzfeed, posted another photo of Conway with the caption, “Shoes on the couch in the Oval Office” 
 
 Shoes on the couch in the Oval Office pic.twitter.com/h2MXUocEar — Jon Passantino (@passantino) February 28, 2017 
 
 MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin, “Trying to imagine the reaction if any Obama admin. official sat on a couch in the Oval like that.” 
 
 Trying to imagine the reaction if any Obama admin. official sat on a couch in the Oval like that. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 28, 2017 
 
 GQ’s Keith Olbermann, “Get your fucking feet off the furniture, @KellyannePolls. This isn’t your home.” 
 
 Get your fucking feet off the furniture, @KellyannePolls. This isn't your home. https://t.co/12DpukKDkS — Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 28, 2017 
 
 The Australian chimed in from the other side of the globe, “What’s Kellyanne Conway doing on the couch?” 
 
 What's Kellyanne Conway doing on the couch? https://t.co/Lb7okO7bl2 — The Australian (@australian) February 28, 2017 
 
 The New York Daily News, “Kellyanne Conway photographed kneeling on White House couch”. 
 
 Kellyanne Conway photographed kneeling on Oval Office couch, Twitter calls out Trump adviser for disrespect – New … https://t.co/K2RkutJQKd — Royal Times Nigeria (@royaltimesng) February 28, 2017 
 
 The Telegraph, “UK Telegraph: ‘Show some class’: Kellyanne Conway accused of lacking respect after putting feet up on Oval Office couch” 
 
 UK Telegraph: 'Show some class': Kellyanne Conway accused of lacking respect after putting feet up on Oval Offi… https://t.co/Opf3dfB3bq — Democra Europe (@DemocraEurope) February 28, 2017 
 
 Yashar, New York Magazine and Daily Beast Contributing Writer, had a Twitter meltdown. A sample: 
 
 WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? pic.twitter.com/jsO9aNBiEY — Yashar (@yashar) February 28, 2017 
 
 Because she's showing disrespect to the Presidents of Historically Black Colleges https://t.co/LqaFU10Ylh — Yashar (@yashar) February 28, 2017 
 
 An uncredited pool photo of Conway on the couch was also making the Twitter rounds. 
 
 Please tell me this is just a leaked screen grab from "Get Out 2" and NOT the way KellyAnne Conway greeted the leaders of HBC's at the Oval. pic.twitter.com/QTe7ppo27j — LITTLE MARVIN (@LITTLEMARVIN) February 28, 2017 
 
 Conway appears to have positioned herself on the couch to take photos without interfering with the pool cameras. Instead the pool cameras chose to focus on Conway. 
 
 For a proper photo of President Trump’s meeting with HBCU presidents, one had to turn to senior Trump advisor Dan Scavino, Jr. 
 
 CBS News’ Mark Knoller posted a listed of HBCUs represented at the meetings Monday with Trump and Vice President Pence. 
 
 HBCUs represented at WH meetings today with Pres Trump and VP Pence: pic.twitter.com/kHAJEuexPZ — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 27, 2017 
 
 Photo Pence meeting with HBCU presidents. 
 
 Trump Administration applauds HBCUs, will sign executive order tomorrow. https://t.co/W15ifgwFkG pic.twitter.com/HxjMsi48Y7 — HBCU Digest (@HBCUDigest) February 28, 2017
– Kellyanne Conway says she was just trying to capture a big moment, not create one. In an interview on Lou Dobbs Tonight on Tuesday, the White House adviser says the viral photo of her kneeling on an Oval Office couch simply caught her doing what she was asked: "What happened is we had the largest gathering of men and women to date in the Oval Office for a picture ... I was being asked to take a picture in a crowded room with the press behind us, and I was asked to take a certain angle and was doing exactly that," she told Dobbs. "I certainly meant no disrespect. I didn't mean to have my feet on the couch." Then she flipped the criticism on its head: "If we started a trend here, where people are outwardly talking about greater respect for the office of the president and its current occupant, then perhaps that’s something positive to come out" of this. And in emails to the Washington Post, Conway tried to shift the attention back where she felt it should be: "on the actual visit and the incredible, important work of these men and women at [historically black colleges and universities]." Trump aide Omarosa Manigault, who was present, also framed the moment to the Post, calling it "very sweet ... to be honest. She looked down at the picture after she got it, and I looked at her and said, 'Kellyanne, did you 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." (Check out more reaction to the photo here and here.)