Ros-Lehtinen Fields Angry Calls Re: Obama Mishap

After Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) hung up on Presiden-elect Barack Obama–and his chief of staff–yesterday, thinking the calls were pranks, the Florida’ congresswoman’s office says she fielded several angry phone calls from constituents who thought she hung up on the president-elect out of disrespect.

Ros-Lehtinen hung up on Obama yesterday when he called to congratulate her on her reelection and discuss foreign policy matters (Ros-Lehtinen serves as the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, thinking his call was a prank from a local radio station.

Ros-Lehtinen talked to some of them, her office said, clarifying that she was honored to receive the call and that her hang-ups were mistaken. The constituents’ anger was defused, according to Ros-Lehtinen’s office, and the congresswoman and the callers laughed about the incident once it was explained.

Ros-Lehtinen may have reason to be skittish about radio station pranks.

“If you’re from Miami, you know the radio stations here are notorious for this kind of thing,” Ros-Lehtinen spokesman Alex Cruz told The Hill.

Local DJs have successfully pranked illustrious personalities such as then-Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, plus an array of South Florida actors and public figures, according to Cruz.

Spanish-language radio hosts Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero, in fact, recently told Ros-Lehtinen they had obtained her cell phone number, suggesting they might prank her in the near future, Cruz said.

During an October appearance on Santos and Ferrero’s show, the hosts convinced Ros-Lehtinen (without much prodding) to dance on an in-studio stripper pole. Ros-Lehtinen obliged, and accounts and video of her performance made their way to Washington.

Cruz, however, said the pole experience had not made Ros-Lehtinen more skittish about radio antics than she already was.

“She’s a ham,” Cruz said.