Weigel

Speechgate 2011: The Boehner Denial

Brendan Buck speaks on behalf of Speaker Boehner’s office, pushing back against White House claims that 9/7 was an agreed-to date

No one in the Speaker’s office - not the Speaker, not any staff - signed off on the date the White House announced today. Unfortunately we weren’t even asked if that date worked for the House. Shortly before it arrived this morning, we were simply informed that a letter was coming. It’s unfortunate the White House ignored decades - if not centuries - of the protocol of working out a mutually agreeable date and time before making any public announcement.

If this is an attempt by the White House to make Congress look unreasonable, well, then 1) it’s not working and 2) why? Why?