The White House Press Office Is Super Cranky These Days

Reuters
Adam Martin 1,035 Views Dec 23, 2011

The White House press office has apparently taken a cranky turn this year, and despite using words like "tendentious" to complain about stories, it sounds pretty juvenile. The Washington Post's Paul Fahri writes that the office's relationship with the press had become "decidedly frosty," with White House spokesman Jay Carney and his colleagues sending "nastygrams" to reporters who pen stories they don't like. Asked about being a jerk, Carney sort of confirms the point when he answers: "Reporters’ criticism of his office 'is pretty thin,' he said. 'Where have you been? . . . You’re kind of discovering that the wheel is round here.' " Ha! Take that, Farhi. We're going to stop right here, however, because apparently the blowback can be painful. Real Clear Politics writer Paul Cannon recalled a three-call diatribe from a deputy press official that "hurt my ear."

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