Ros-Lehtinen: Hanging up on Obama ‘pretty embarrassing’

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said Thursday that it was “pretty embarrassing” to realize that she had twice hung up on President-elect Barrack Obama.

“It took two hang-ups on my part. Whoops. Sorry about that," she said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "Listen, I don't want to be presumptuous, but please tell President-elect Obama that he may call me now.”

The congresswoman received the call on her cell phone Wednesday from a Chicago number informing her that Obama was requesting to speak to her. When the President-elect introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen assumed it was a prank and quickly cut him off.

“I’m sorry, but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks,” she said.

Incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel then called back to tell the congresswoman that it was in fact Obama on the other end of the phone. “Ileana, I cannot believe you hung up on the president-elect,” Emanuel said, before Ros-Lehtinen again hung up still thinking it was a prank.

Obama was finally able to connect after Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, on which Ros-Lehtinen is the ranking member, called to tell her that it really was the president-elect on the other end.

Once connected, Obama told Ros-Lehtinen, “It is very funny that you have twice hung up on me.” She responded by telling Obama that South Florida radio stations frequently make prank calls.

“Unfortunately, yes, I did hang up on President-elect Obama twice,” Ros-Lehtinen said Thursday. “I said to him, ‘Boy, you are a very good Obama impersonator. Much better than that guy on "Saturday Night Live."’ And then, no wonder. It was him.”

Ros-Lehtinen added that she did not want to fall victim to a prank, as did Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who was convinced that she was talking to French President Nicholas Sarkozy when in fact she was talking to two Canadian comedians broadcasting the conversation on the radio.