Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, created ruffles in the White House on Tuesday after she accused Obama’s aides of having dropped taunting notes for the upcoming incumbent before they left their office in 2017.
As per Grisham’s claims, notes like “you’ll fail” and “you aren’t going to make it” were found lying in Obama’s books in the White House, which were evidently aimed at the upcoming incumbent, Donald Trump. However, once her statement created a political row she simply chose to backtrack to avoid the further commotion. Meanwhile, officials from Obama’s administration discarded the same as something inconsequential and fake. Obama’s former National Security Advisor Susan Rice labeled Grisham’s accusations as “a bald-faced lie” on her Twitter account.
Grisham’s allegations come amidst the third day of public impeachment hearings by House Democrats, hence the flutter created by them is quite obvious. Obama’s speechwriter, Cody Keenan too felt Grisham’s claims to be of a puerile nature and tweeted that “nobody left unimaginative notes written at a sixth grade level”. After receiving criticism for her allegations, Grisham tried to tone down her words by stating that she was talking “specifically (and honestly) about our experience in the lower press office-nowhere else”. Amidst this pandemonium, Grisham’s East Wing predecessor posted the note she left behind for Grisham on social media which read: “Welcome to the family of White House staffers, past and present. The bond we all share transcends politics.”
The White House has been a witness to such controversies earlier as well. During the tenure of George W. Bush, the Bill Clinton administration was accused by the aides of Bush’s administration of having left behind computers with missing “W” keys and discovering Gore presidential campaign stickers on government property. However, following denials from Obama’s former aides and clarifications from Grisham’s side the political commotion invited by her words seems more or less pacified.
