Obama campaign
A controversial book released this week claims Michelle Obama had plans to divorce President Barack Obama, resurfacing the story that allegedly took place in 2000 before his presidency. Reuters

A controversial book released this week claims Michelle Obama had plans to divorce President Barack Obama, resurfacing the story that allegedly took place in 2000 before his presidency.

The biography, entitled The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House by Edward Klein, hit bookstores on Tuesday. In the book, Klein writes that Michelle wanted to divorce her husband just eight years into the marriage after he did not follow her advice regarding Bobby Rush. According to Klein, she advised Barack Obama not to run against Democratic congressman incumbent Bobby Rush for Rush's Chicago House of Representatives seat in 2000, which he did anyway, despite her advice, and lost by 2-1.

During the dark days that followed his defeat, he turned to Michelle for comfort. But she was in no mood for sympathy, Klein wrote in the book. He had refused to listen to her warnings.

Klein said the book is based on his account from over 200 interviews he conducted. Klein even wrote that Michelle went as far as having divorce papers drawn up, causing Barack to be so depressed that some of his friends worried that he was suicidal.

However, presidential spokesman Eric Schultz denied the claims made in the book.

Ed Klein has a proven history of reckless fabrication in order to sell books, Schultz told the Washington Examiner. Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one.

However, this is not the first time the Obamas were rumored to be considering divorce. In 2010, tabloids like The Globe and the National Enquirer ran the story that the President and the First Lady were to divorce over not having enough children and flagrant spending. The couple, though, has now been married for about 20 years with two daughters.