White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told high school students in May 2009 that one of her favorite political philosophers was Mao Tse Tung, the Communist dictator responsible for the death of millions of people, and she explained why his philosophy was important for achieving personal and political goals.

When questioned last week after a video of her speech surfaced, however, Dunn said she was using “irony” in reference to Mao. A leading expert on China told CNSNews.com that Dunn’s remarks were “pathetic,” given the human rights atrocities committed under Mao’s reign.

As first shown on Fox News Channel’s “Glenn Beck” show on Thursday, Oct. 15, in the video Dunn told graduating high school students that Mao and Mother Teresa, the Catholic nun known for aiding the poor, were examples of people who did not give up, and did their own thing to make a difference in the world.