After President Barack Obama came under heavy fire from politicians and the media
for his absence at the rally in Paris on Sunday, former President Jimmy Carter has come to his defense.
"I don't think there's any need for criticism," Carter said,
according to The Wall Street Journal.
"The president sometimes can't go where he'd prefer to go," he said. "He's just come back from vacation so I think he's probably got a lot on his desk…as you know the secretary of state is going over there to represent us."
The White House has subsequently said that the administration
regretted its decision not to send a more senior level official to represent the United States at the million-strong march.
"It's fair to say we should have sent someone with a higher profile," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Carter was speaking at a press conference at the American Museum of Natural History for an exhibit opening this month on disease eradication in connection with his non-profit group, the Carter Center, the Journal said.
More than 40 heads of state were in attendance at the Paris rally including UK Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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