By ,
Published January 25, 2017
And now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Shine a Little Light
House Republicans are questioning whether the self-described most transparent administration ever is trying to go around disclosure rules.
A report prepared by the Energy and Commerce Committee uncovered e-mails sent from the personal account of then-Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina to lobbyists during the health care reform debate. In one, Messina wrote to a drug industry lobbyist -- quote -- "I will roll Pelosi to get the four billion. As you may have heard I am literally rolling over the House."
The law requires all official White House communication be preserved. Press Secretary Jay Carney said yesterday -- quote -- "Mr. Messina would copy his own e-mails into the White House account so that the record was established."
The committee's report states the White House refused to verify whether the e-mails in question had been properly preserved.
The administration is also being accused of arranging secret meetings with lobbyists at a coffee shop near the White House to avoid having to list those sessions.
Chicken = Cash Cow
Wednesday's Chick-fil-A appreciation day was very appreciated by the company.
Pastor Rick Warren tweeted last night -- quote -- "[CEO] Dan Cathy just called me. Chick-fil-A has already set a world record today, with seven more hours to go in the West. #Out-Of-Chicken."
A company release had this -- quote -- "While we don't release exact sales numbers, it was an unprecedented day."
Apparently, a counter event is set for tomorrow. Gay rights supporters are planning National Same-Sex Kiss Day at Chick-fil-A to protest the company's support of traditional marriage.
Carry a Big Stick
And finally, President Obama called Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Monday, to discuss the situation in Syria.
The call itself was not unusual during the crisis there but this picture of the president holding a baseball bat during that call raised some questions today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Do you know -- did he get that from a Major League player, or is there some sort of back story about the foreign policy approach or –
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: -- he was holding a baseball bat.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He's a baseball fan. What can I tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The bat was in fact a gift from Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/grapevine-chick-fil-a-sets-world-record