(nbc) Barack Obama said it was a mistake to allow his daughters to be interviewed extensively by “Access Hollywood,” and he will not allow it to happen again. “I think that we got carried away in the moment,” the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Wednesday. “We were having a birthday party, and everybody was laughing. And suddenly this thing cropped up. I didn’t catch it quickly enough. I was surprised by the attention it received.” The interview, which is being aired in four parts this week on “Access Hollywood,” took place last week in Butte, Mont. In it, Obama and his wife, Michelle, sit down with their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, to talk about family life and what it’s like to be the daughters of a presidential candidate. The interview, conducted by Maria Menounos, prompted criticism of the candidate, who had said that he wanted to keep his family life private, but now seemed to be using his family to advance his candidacy. On Wednesday’s “Verdict with Dan Abrams” on MSNBC, Menounos explained how Obama’s daughters wound up in the interview along with their parents. “The interview originally was just supposed to be the senator and his wife,” she said. “We get there and it was the Fourth of July, it was Malia’s birthday — the circumstances surrounding that day I think kind of lended themselves to a more comfortable atmosphere for the girls.” On TODAY, Lauer asked Obama if the family would do similar sessions in the future. “We wouldn’t do it again, and we won’t be doing it again,” the candidate said flatly.

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