Emily Wagster Pettus

Associated Press

JACKSON - Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Saturday he was expressing pride in his daughter when he said her job as a county board of supervisors’ attorney is “usually not a position for a young lady.”

Bryant spoke Monday to participants in Magnolia Girls State, a leadership program for high school students. The Hattiesburg American reported Friday that the Republican governor told the teenagers Mississippi is a “state of opportunity,” and he cited his daughter, Katie Bryant Snell, as an example.

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“Katie — Katherine now — is the board attorney for Madison County (supervisors),” Bryant said Monday. “That’s usually not a position for a young lady. Most board attorneys tend to be guys because it can be a little challenging at times.”

Bryant said Saturday in a statement to The Associated Press: “I am very proud of Katie for excelling in a job that can be very challenging, whether the board attorney is a man or a woman. Deriving anything other than that from my remarks is misguided and represents another example of the false narrative liberals push on Republicans. From their response, I can say with certainty the Girls State participants knew exactly what I meant.”

Bryant also told the teenagers that they would help change the world. He said Mississippi excels in the number of women-owned businesses, and he praised women who have been called up for military duty in Afghanistan and Kuwait.

“Man, what a great job they are doing,” Bryant said.