Barney Frank slams Griffin for ‘terrible comment’ on Browns

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on Friday strongly condemned comedian Kathy Griffin for joking on her Bravo network reality show that Sen. Scott Brown’s (R-Mass.) daughters are “prostitutes.”

Griffin made the quip to CNN reporters in a segment of her program – called “My Life on the D-List” – that aired Tuesday. Frank, who appeared on a separate portion of the show, sent a letter to Griffin Friday defending Brown and his family.

“Having agreed to go on your show, I was particularly disappointed in the terrible comment you made about Scott Brown’s daughters,” Frank wrote.

“I think it’s possible to have fun, and even to poke fun at people in my businesses, without this kind of completely unfair attack,” the letter continues. “And while I don’t usually feel compelled to comment on what various entertainers do, since you did include me in that show I wanted to make it very clear that I thought what you did was wholly unfair and inappropriate. It’s the kind of thing that makes it less likely that I or others can cooperate with you in the future.”

Griffin made the comment while being quizzed about politics by CNN reporters John King and Dana Bash. When they held up a photo of Brown and asked who he was, Griffin replied, “Scott Brown, who is a senator from Massachusetts, and has two daughters who are prostitutes,” prompting laughter from Bash.

Brown, a freshman senator, on Thursday criticized the comments about daughters Ayla and Arianna. “People can call me any name they want, but families are off limits," Brown said. "I love my daughters Ayla and Arianna very much, and any parent would be proud to have them as children. Kathy Griffin and Bravo ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

Brown’s own quip about his daughters drew attention in January.

After winning a special election in to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), he joked that the two were "both available."

 Ayla Brown, a former college basketball player and “American Idol” contestant, works as contributor to “The Early Show” on CBS. Arianna Brown has spent this past summer doing some modeling.

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