By Jon Swaine
President Barack Obama has apologised to California's Attorney-General Kamala Harris after praising her looks during remarks at a fund-raising event in San Francisco.
Mr Obama was paying tribute to Ms Harris, who is 48 and unmarried.
Comments: California's Attorney-General Kamala Harris, whose looks were praised by Barack Obama (right).Credit: AP
''She's brilliant and she's dedicated; she's tough,'' he told his audience. ''She also happens to be, by far, the best-looking Attorney-General.''
Amid laughter from the crowd, the President added: ''It's true! Come on!''
A reporter following Mr Obama's party said the President noted ''a couple of times that she is easy on the eyes''.
There was a quick reaction on social media sites, with some people accusing Mr Obama of being sexist and others defending his comment as harmless.
Soon after Air Force One returned Mr Obama from his West Coast trip, he called Ms Harris and apologised, White House press secretary Jay Carney said.
The President ''fully recognises the challenge women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance'', Mr Carney said.
Ms Harris was elected to the office in 2010 after serving two terms as district attorney of San Francisco. She is the first woman to hold the post and the first with African-American and south Asian heritage. Her name has come up as a possible candidate for governor or even for the US Supreme Court if another seat is vacated during Mr Obama's second term.
While Ms Harris did not seem offended, others were on her behalf. Robin Abcarian wrote on the website of the Los Angeles Times that the comment was ''more wolfish than sexist'', and ''may be a little problem he needs to work on''.
Mr Obama was reported in February to have told Nicole Malliotakis, a 32-year-old Republican member of the New York state assembly, that she ''didn't look a day over 23''.
Amid jokes from bystanders that Ms Malliotakis should defect to the Democrats, Mr Obama reportedly said: ''Come on, honey! I said you're pretty! I said you look 23!''
Mr Obama owes his re-election partly to female support, having beaten Mitt Romney, his Republican opponent, last November to the female vote by 55 per cent to 44.
Democrats ridiculed Mr Romney for claiming in a debate that he had drawn up ''binders full of women'' to fill senior positions in his administration while he was governor of Massachusetts.
In an unfortunate turn of events, the President made his remark about Miss Harris, just as his wife, Michelle, mistakenly described herself as a ''single mother'' to a television interviewer.
Acknowledging it was difficult for parents to find time to prepare good food, she said: ''Believe me, as a busy single mother,'' before correcting herself to: ''I shouldn't say single … as a busy mother.''
In an attempt to make light of the statement, Mrs Obama added: ''Sometimes, you know, when you've got the husband who's President, it can feel a little single. But he's there.''
Telegraph, London; The New York Times