Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella The White House is refusing to answer an online petition seeking to have Justin Bieber deported, claiming the imploding pop star is a “terrible influence on our nation’s youth.” Maybe the Obamas just like the Bieb.
The White House is refusing to answer an online petition seeking to have Justin Bieber deported, claiming the imploding pop star is a “terrible influence on our nation’s youth.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but we won’t be commenting on this one,” the White House responded to the nearly 274,000 petitioners who requested that Bieber be sent back to his native Canada and his green card revoked. “We’ll leave it to others to comment on Mr. Bieber’s case.”
The White House said it needed “to avoid the appearance of improper influence” and then moved on, using the rest of its comments to discuss Obama’s views on immigration reform.
The petition against the hard-partying, pot-smoking 20-year-old singer was filed on the White House’s website in January under the topic “Believing in immigration reform” and quickly drew the 100,000 online signatures needed to trigger an official response.
It had the most signatures of any current petition on the website, including one to pardon Edward Snowden.
In January, Bieber was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was caught drag racing sports cars in Miami, authorities have said.
Obama met Bieber onstage during a 2011 “Christmas in Washington” TV special.
In February, the First Lady said she would cut the troubled idol a break if he was her son.
“I would pull him close. You know, I don’t know if it would be advice as much as action,” Michelle Obama said in an interview with Univision radio host Enrique Santos. “I would be very present in his life right now. And I would be probably with him a good chunk of the time, just there to talk, to figure out what’s going on in his head, to figure out who’s in his life and who’s not, you know.”