Hoax: First Lady requires more than 20 attendants

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The claim:

The Queen and her court!!!

No, Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as the First Lady and she doesn't perform any official duties. But this hasn't deterred her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every request in the midst of the Great Recession. Just think Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during the Civil War. And Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary. How things have changed! If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers, prepare to scream and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of Miz Michelle are the same as members of the national security and defense departments and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by John Q. Public:

1. $172,2000 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
2. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
3. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)
4. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
5. Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
6. $90,000 - Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
7. $84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
8. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
9. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)
10. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
11. Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
12. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
13. $60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)
14. Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
15. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)
16. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
17. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
18. Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
19. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
20. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
21. Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
22. Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

There has never been anyone in the White House at any time that has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life. One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer expense, when even Hillary, only had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower social help came from the President's own pocket.

Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom travelled aboard Air Force One to Europe .

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12652

And the rebuttal:

Here's a list of George W. Bush White House staff:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2007/whsalaries.htm

Here are the fifteen of them with 'first lady' in the actual job title:

McBride, Anita B. Assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady
Harder, Cherie S. Special assistant to the president for domestic policy and director of project of the first lady
Niemiec, Sally M. Press secretary to the First Lady
Miller, Sonja M. Deputy chief of staff to the first lady
Ballard, Deanna M. Director of scheduling for the First Lady
Underwood, Carrie P. Deputy director of policy and projects for the First Lady
Wallace, Charity N. Director of advance for the First Lady
Marshall, Misty C. Director of correspondence for the first lady
Etter, Marisa L. Deputy director of scheduling for the First Lady
King, Kristin N. Deputy director of advance for the first lady
Lineweaver, Lindsey Special assistant and personal aide to the first lady
Rawson, Kimberly D. Executive assistant to the chief of staff to the First Lady
Donoghue, Tarah C. Deputy press secretary to the First Lady
Vogel, Campbell B. Deputy director of correspondence for the First Lady
Block, Jonathan F. Assistant press secretary to the First Lady

What a surprise! There were fifteen staff White House staff members with 'first lady' in their job title under Laura Bush - just like under Michelle Obama!!!

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1. Discussion here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6206655#6208941

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2. Snopes and TruthOrFiction have articles on this now.

Snopes article

TruthOrFiction article