Melissa Gilbert: Betsy DeVos is a 'moron'

Actress Melissa Gilbert called U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos a "moron."

"I think she needs to be removed as quickly as possible," Gilbert told an interviewer from TMZ, who asked her about DeVos (while mispronouncing DeVos' last name) on a New York City street.

Gilbert, who acted as a child in "Little House on the Prairie," lives in Michigan.

"She doesn't know what's going on in the school system in her own state. My state," she said.

Gilbert also said: "I have friends who are teachers who are just mind-boggled by her."

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On Sunday, DeVos set off criticism after flubbing a question on Michigan schools on CBS's "60 Minutes," saying she had no idea whether the state's schools are better or worse off because of her school choice efforts.

In 2015, Gilbert announced she was running for Congress as a Democrat in Michigan’s 8th District. She later dropped out of the race, citing health ailments and advice from her doctors.

Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at 313-222-6594 or 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter:@AnnZaniewski.