Presidential daughter Chelsea Clinton announced her intention to sue 34th Street Magazine for libel, slander and defamation of character at a press conference in Washington D.C. yesterday. The suit stems from the magazine's depiction of Chelsea as a snotty gossip columnist in its weekly "Street Society" column. The suit also alleges that the editorial staff of the magazine superimposed "extra hair and dental hardware" on a photo of the First Daughter. "I'm tired of being made fun of," said a teary-eyed Chelsea. "I've seen the skits on Saturday Night Live and everything else, but what 34th Street did crossed the line." Speaking from the Sidwell Friends school, Chelsea added that her decision to pursue litigation was cheered by her parents. "My father totally encouraged me to sue them, and my mom went ballistic when she saw what they did to my picture," she said. "This whole 'awkward stage' thing is totally blown out of proportion." 34th Street Editor Josh Tyrangiel said he was stunned by the impending suit. "I can't believe this," said Tyrangiel, a College junior. "I'm no legal scholar, but I thought we could do do whatever we wanted." He said later, however, "Yeah, I guess we did kind of slander her. But I don't think we defamed her." Brendan Sullivan, the youngest Clinton's attorney, believes the suit will ease some of the social tensions Chelsea faces at school, as well as provide a handsome financial reward for his client. "Let's just say Chelsea's future will be taken care of by the time the suit is through," said Sullivan.
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