Santorum: Obama daughter's Mexico trip 'sets a very bad precedent'

The children of politicians are normally off limits during campaigns but Rick Santorum is lashing out at President Barack Obama for allowing his daughter to go to Mexico, claiming it could endanger Americans.

Speaking to GBTV's Glenn Beck on Tuesday, the Republican presidential candidate reacted to the news that the president's daughter, Malia, had asked permission to spend her spring break in Mexico, even though the State Department had issued warnings for other areas of the country.

"What I would say is that the president’s actions should reflect what his administration is saying," Santorum declared. "If the administration is saying that it’s not safe to have people down there, then just because you can send 25 Secret Service agents doesn’t mean you should do it. You should set an example. I think that’s what presidents do. They set an example. And when the government is saying this is not safe, then you don’t set the example by sending your kids down there."

"I think you have a higher duty when you're president to set that example," he added. "You're not above the law. You're not someone who's, who can say one thing to one group and then do something else. It sets a very bad precedent."

Early Tuesday morning, Politico reported that several publications like The Huffington Post and AFP had removed their reports about the first daughter's vacation plans over privacy concerns.

"From the beginning of the administration, the White House has asked news outlets not to report on or photograph the Obama children when they are not with their parents and there is no vital news interest," Michelle Obama's communication director Kristina Schake told Politico. "We have reminded outlets of this request in order to protect the privacy and security of these girls."

The Raw Story has chosen to withhold Malia Obama's travel destination from this report.

Watch this video from GBTV's The Glenn Beck Program, broadcast March 20, 2012.

(H/T: Talking Points Memo)