White House: Sony apology ‘appropriate’

The White House said Friday it was “appropriate” for a Sony Pictures executive to apologize over hacked emails that showed her joking about President Obama liking black-oriented films.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest declined to say whether he believed the emails were racist, but said “there were a lot of people who did have a personal reaction that caused them to cringe.”

{mosads}“It’s my understanding that the Sony executives, or at least one of the Sony executives, whose emails were made public has apologized for the content of those emails, and I certainly think that was appropriate,” Earnest said.

In the emails, posted by Buzzfeed, Amy Pascal, Sony’s co-chairwoman, asked producer Scott Rubin what she should ask the president at a “stupid” breakfast organized by Jeffrey Katzenberg, a top Obama donor and chief executive of DreamWorks Animation.

She suggested that Obama might like the Quentin Tarantino film “Django Unchained” about a former slave seeking revenge, while Rudin suggested Obama might like “12 Years A Slave” or the Kevin Hart film “Ride-along.”

Pascal, in a statement to the New York Times, said the emails were “insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who I am.”

“Although this was a private communication that was stolen, I accept full responsibility for what I wrote and apologize to everyone who was offended,” she said.

Rudin said he was “profoundly and deeply sorry” in a statement to the paper.

“I regret and apologize for any injury they might have caused,” Rudin said. “I made a series of remarks that were meant only to be funny, but in the cold light of day, they are in fact thoughtless and insensitive — and not funny at all.”