Obama Hypocrisy: Minimum Wage For White House Interns-- $0.00/Hour

President Obama reacted today to the failure of the Senate to pass a  has spent much time traveling the country blaming the Republican Party for refusing to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 and hour, but in his own 'home" at the White House, the Obama administration is resisting calls to pay interns who serve there. There are approximately 300 interns who work at the White House each year and at the end of their tenure all they receive is a handshake and possibly a letter of recommendation and a possible selfie with the President.

Sam Stein, Huffington Post political reporter, points to a Stephen Lurie op-ed in The Washington Post in which he scolds the President:

On raising the minimum wage, Obama said that as “a chief executive, I intend to lead by example.” Mr. President: Unpaid internships contradict your commitments and your economic agenda. Lead by example: It’s time to pay your interns.

Buzzfeed has also criticized the President about his the lack of pay for White House interns, a fact they openly admit on the White House intern FAQ page:

White House Internships are unpaid positions. Applicants may contact educational and other non-profit organizations to apply for funding or housing assistance. Any outside income, funding or housing assistance received as a White House intern must be pre-approved by the Office of the White House Counsel.

Stein interviewed Maurice Pianko, a New York attorney who has led lawsuits on behalf of unpaid interns. Pianko urged the Administration to change its intern policy:

Having unpaid interns undermines the concept of a meritocracy when only certain applicants can afford to spend a few months without income in one of the most expensive cities in the country, Pianko said. The internships, he noted, already tend to go to the well-connected as it is.

"Even if they were to get paid, it would be hard to get an internship at the White House. But because it is unpaid, those who can't afford to work for free could never have the opportunity," Pianko said. "And it is a tremendous opportunity."

As for choosing to pay the interns, "It would cost them next to nothing and set a nice precedent," Pianko added, noting that interns could be paid minimum wage.

Interns at the White House and elsewhere in the Government work full-time hours (and overtime when needed), typing, drafting memos, covering meetings, working with the public and even in some cases participating in strategy meetings.

While pushing the $10.10 minimum wage the President is ignoring those who labor for him directly.