Now we know what White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham actually does rather than hold the daily press briefings that every other person in her position saw as an integral part of their job, but she has refused to do since assuming her position — invent exaggerated fables to attack the Obama administration.
The evidence for that exercise comes from CNN Political Correspondent Abby D. Phillip who posted this tweet noting what Grisham said had happened at the very beginning of the Trump administration during the hand over from the previous White House occupants.
WH Press Sec Stephanie Grisham claims Obama aides left 'you will fail" notes in offices for Trump aides: “We came into the WH, I’ll tell you something. Every office was filled with Obama books and we had notes left behind that said ‘you will fail,’ ‘you aren’t going to make it,’”
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) November 19, 2019
Offices filled with Obama books! Oh, the horror!
Pranks played by the outgoing staff on the members of a new administration — particularly when a new party is taking control — have a long storied history.
Members of the Clinton administration famously removed all of the “w” keys from White House computer keyboards when George W. Bush was handed the election over then-Vice-President Al Gore by the Supreme Court after a contentious fight over vote recounts in Florida. In fact, the amount of the ”damage, theft, vandalism and pranks” perpetrated by departing Clinton staffers totaled nearly $14,000.
Despite the legacy of such transitional taunting, however, the CNN correspondent found Grisham’s accusations somewhat less than credible — an occupational hazard in dealing with any statement by a member of the Trump administration.
If true, you have to wonder why no one has ever mentioned it before… https://t.co/nkVsTxNMHx
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) November 19, 2019
Since Grisham provided no hard proof of her claims. people were skeptical that the story hadn’t been reported on when it originally happened, particularly given the animosity that Trump has displayed towards his predecessor, and why no photos or contemporaneous reports have emerged.
Seems unlikely! https://t.co/PJh98a5Idt
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) November 19, 2019
Susan Rice, the former National Security Advisor during the Obama administration, called Grisham’s divisive fabrication a “bald faced lie” in a Twitter response to Phillip’s recounting of the allegations.
Here is what @AmbassadorRice wrote in her book "Tough Love" about the note she left Michael Flynn: "On a White House stationary card, I reiterate my best wishes for his success in a job so crucial to the nation's security. I offer to help him, if ever I could…" https://t.co/5INvhdTYKP
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) November 19, 2019
Other former Obama officials, such as former Special Assistant to the President Ned Price, also countered Grisham’s narrative.
She's right about one point. I left a note — tucked away in my desk — for my successor. I wished him success and encouraged him not to grow jaded despite the pace and obstacles. I also left my personal email in case he wished to seek candid advice.
I never heard from him. https://t.co/KWbzG4yLNI
— Ned Price (@nedprice) November 19, 2019
ABC Chief White House Correspondent Johnathan Karl weighed in with his own account of being on the scene as the Trump staff moved into their offices. He says that he saw no evidence of the sort of pranks that Grisham claimed and proved photographic evidence of his own.
I was in the West Wing on the evening of January 20, 2017, talking to several incoming Trump officials as they moved into their offices. I saw no offices "filled with Obama books" and nobody mentioned "you will fail" notes. Here are photos I took at the WH that night pic.twitter.com/TUZhbO6QbN
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) November 19, 2019
Phillip’s CNN colleague Jim Acosta reported on Grisham’s response to the pushback from Rice and other Obama administration staffers who called out the Press Secretary’s story as essentially malicious slander.
Grisham response to former Obama staffers pushing back on her comments that nasty notes were left behind during the transition: “I was talking specifically (and honestly) about our experience in the lower press office – nowhere else.” pic.twitter.com/gyq8TygTmR
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 19, 2019
Despite the attempts at damage control by Grisham over her initially broad accusation, CNN’s Phillip suggested that the press secretary put up or shut up.
If this happened, she should provide proof. Because all other available evidence suggest that it didn't. https://t.co/3oTQE1Vse8
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) November 19, 2019
At this point, there is not much that the Trump administration can say that won’t face the highest scrutiny.
That’s the legacy of a cascade of lies issued every day — a level of credibility lower than the Mariana Trench.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
