(CNN) — First Lady Laura Bush has said that National Guard documents used in a CBS News story questioning whether her husband fulfilled his National Guard service duties are probably forgeries.
“You know, they probably are altered and they probably are forgeries and I think that’s terrible, really. That’s actually one of the risks you take when you run for public office or when you’re in the public eye for any reason and that’s that obviously a lot of things are said about you that aren’t true and that’s the drawback, that’s the one thing that’s not great about serving in public office,” said Mrs. Bush.
Bush’s wife was responding to a question posed during a Radio Iowa interview on Monday.
CBS News has said it stands by its story and will continue to report on it.
The network said it had obtained memos showing the then-Texas house speaker used his influence to get Bush into the Texas National Guard, ahead of hundreds of others who were on a waiting list.
CBS said the memos also show that Bush refused an order to take a physical exam and was suspended for failing to perform up to standards.
Critics have questioned the authenticity of the documents, alleging they were written in a type face and style unavailable at the time Bush was in the National Guard.