Palin: Rapper's invite to White House lacks 'class and decency'

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Wednesday slammed the White House's decision to invite the rapper Common to participate in a poetry event. 

Palin, a potential presidential candidate and frequent critic of Obama, said that the invitation was "too easy" to decry because Common is "someone who has glorified cop killing" in his lyrics.

"The judgment is just so lacking of class and decency and all that's good about America with an invite like this," Palin said during an interview on Fox News. 

Common's presence at the event drew flack from media figures who drew attention to some of his lyrics, in which he used violent language against President George W. Bush and police officers.

Palin, who had briefly criticized the invite in a tweet Tuesday, suggested the White House was practically sparking a controversy.

"It's just so easy to assume that they're just inviting someone like me or someone like me … to ask 'come on Barack Obama. Who are you palling around with now?'"

Palin preemptively shot back against her critics, saying she is a proponent of free speech and is not "anti-rap."

"Like [Fox News anchor] Brett Baier, I know the lyrics of 'Rappers Delight too.'"

White House press secretary Jay Carney defended Common's invitation to the event on Wednesday, saying he is a socially conscious musician. 

"[President Obama] has spoken out about — very strongly against ... those kinds of lyrics and and he opposes them," he said. "But he does not think that that is the sum total of this particular artist's work, which has been recognized by a lot of mainstream organizations and fair and balanced organizations like Fox News, which described his music as very positive."

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