US

‘I NEVER EXPECTED THIS’: 16-year-old Daily Caller intern who questioned Carney ‘shocked by’ all the attention [VIDEO]

Vince Coglianese Editorial Director
Font Size:

Gabe Finger, the 16-year-old who fired off a question to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Wednesday, says he’s “shocked” by all the attention he’s received for asking what he thought was a “good question.”

Finger, a high school intern at The Daily Caller, asked Carney about whether the president would take action to protect the family of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman’s family has reportedly been inundated with death threats after he was found “not guilty” of murdering Trayvon Martin.

Carney responded to Finger’s questioning indignantly, calling it “ridiculous” and accusing him of looking to “editorialize” concern for Zimmerman’s safety.

“Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy interviewed Finger about the exchange Thursday morning, saying he was surprised Finger got to ask a question on his very first day at the White House.

“I know. It’s crazy,” Finger agreed. “You know, I positioned myself well. I mean, I was sitting down and then someone told me to get out of the seat and stand where I was standing, which actually was a blessing in disguise because it got me right in Carney’s line of sight.”

Doocy told Finger his question was a good one, because it was “something people seemed to be talking about.”

“Yeah,” Finger replied. “I stand by my question. I think it’s a good question. But, you know, it was a typical White House briefing response. You know, I’m not bothered by it.”

“But, you are now famous, Gabe Finger,” Doocy responded, “because after Carney said that that was a ‘ridiculous’ question, you’ve blown up all over the Internet.”

“A little bit,” Finger chuckled.

“What’s the reaction been?” Doocy asked.

Finger said that as he walked back from the White House Wednesday, he merely expected to be a “minor office celebrity” within TheDC’s newsroom.

“I never expected this. The Twitter followers started piling up,” Finger explained. “You know, then Politico, then BuzzFeed. I’m just really shocked by it all.”

Follow Vince on Twitter