Obama divorce story: White House says Ed Klein's 'The Amateur' is fiction

By Jen Harper

    

May 18, 2012 12:47 PM ET

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According to controversial new biography "The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House,"Michelle and Barack Obama were headed for divorce in 2000, and friends thought the future president might be suicidal.

The New York Post reports that, per the book out Tuesday (May 15), Barack decided to challenge Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush in a Chicago primary in 2000 -- against Michelle's wishes. Barack was then beaten in a 2-to-1 landslide.

"Amateur" author Edward Klein writes, "During the dark days that followed his defeat, he turned to Michelle for comfort. But she was in no mood for sympathy ... He had refused to listen to her warnings about taking on" Rush. The primary also reportedly left the Obamas in debt.

"Michelle actually had divorce papers drawn up," Klein writes, citing one of Michelle's friends. "Obama was so depressed that some of his friends worried that he was suicidal."

The White House, however, dismisses Klein's work as pure fiction.

"Ed Klein has a proven history of reckless fabrication in order to sell books," presidential spokesman Eric Schultz says. "Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one."

Do you think there's any merit to Klein's claims? Or is he just trying to sell books?

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