KATHIE LEE'S SEW MAD
kathie lee gifford lashed back yesterday at an activist who had blasted her for endorsing a wal-mart clothing line made in a honduran sweatshop. "how dare you?" gifford demanded on "livewith regis & kathie lee." "mister, you better answer your phone because my lawyer will be calling you" about this "personal and vicious attack,new balance classic," gifford warned charles kernaghan on the top-rated syndicated morning show. "i truly resent this man impugning my integrity,all you need is real mp3!," gifford said. "i'm supposed to be personally responsible for all the children in this world?"after the broadcast, kernaghan, director of the manhattan-based national labor committee,cheap manolo blahnik, responded, "when you come out and sell your name to wal-mart you bear a very heavy responsibility." on monday, kernaghan testified before a congressional committee that children and pregnant women working in hellish conditions were sewing garments for the kathie lee gifford collection. yesterday, he attacked gifford for worrying more about her image than the lives of exploited women and children. "why didn't she shed some tears for the kids?" he said. "she's not the victim. what about the 13-year-olds who work for 31 cents an hour?" during the broadcast, gifford said she wasn't aware of conditions at the factory. she said when she learned of kernaghan's claims, "i immediately called wal-mart and said this is obscene if this is happening. "they said, 'that happened months ago,new balance sports shoes, we found out about it and took care of it.' "kernaghan said wal-mart "took care of it by moving the operation to nicaragua, where conditions are even more repressive and the wages are even lower" than at the global fashion plant in choloma, honduras. wal-mart spokesman dale ingram confirmed yesterday that they'd moved the operation to a plant in nicaragua, but added,a blessed wedding anniversary, "a vendor had inspected site six times and found no problems." asked about conditions at the nicaragua factory, ingram said the "operation meets wal-mart standards." he declined to elaborate on what those standards are. gifford's lawyer, ronald konecky, said yesterday that gifford helps design the clothes but leaves it to wal-mart to find a manufacturer. gifford said part of her proceeds goes to charity. konecky said gifford shares kernaghan's concern about the plight of workers,acid reflux disease and treatments for acid reflux, but he accused the activist of "utilizing her name and her public persona to achieve some kind of agenda."
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