Elizabeth Lauten resigns: Republican aide steps down after 'offensive' comments about President Obama's daughters

The communications director had told them to 'show a little class'

An aide to a Republican congressman has announced her resignation after provoking outrage with comments telling Barack Obama’s daughters to show “a little class”.

Elizabeth Lauten, the communications director for Tennessee representative Steve Fincher, wrote a diatribe against Sasha and Malia Obama on her Facebook page on Thursday.

She criticised the teenagers after their appearance with the President at a traditional “turkey pardoning” ceremony ahead of Thanksgiving at the White House.

Several commentators reported humorously on the expressions of Malia, 16, and Sasha, 13, but Ms Lauten attacked them and their parents.

"Dear Sasha and Malia: I get you're both in those awful teen years, but you're a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play," she wrote in a Facebook post that has since been deleted.

"Then again, our mother and father don't respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter, so I'm guessing you're coming up a little short in the 'good role model' department."

The post told the girls to "rise to the occasion" and "act like being in the White House matters to you."

"Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar. And certainly don't make faces during televised, public events," she concluded.

The post soon went viral, with many critics calling for Ms Lauten’s dismissal, and she later apologised for “quickly judging” the teenagers.

But on Monday she told NBC News she was resigning from her job and from the Republican party.

A petition on Change.org calling for her to be sacked for the “extremely offensive” posts had more than 4,000 signatures by the time she resigned.