Officials Say the Darndest Things

Anthony Weiner launches New York mayoral campaign web site. With...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:19:00 -0400

Anthony Weiner launches New York mayoral campaign web site. With a Pittsburgh skyline. Oops. (via NBC4 New York)

"None. No reaction. None. Look, my face didn’t move. No reaction."

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:50:12 -0400

“None. No reaction. None. Look, my face didn’t move. No reaction.”

- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on the news that Anthony Weiner would run for New York City Mayor.

(h/t Michael Barbaro)

"Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was."

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:09:51 -0400

“Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was.”

- E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Virginia, in a 2012 “Message to Black Christians.”

(h/t ABC News)

"Holy smoke—that was a horrible conflict of interest."

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:40:23 -0400

“Holy smoke—that was a horrible conflict of interest.”

- A former biodefense official, upon learning that a Pentagon advisor had convinced the government to spend $334 million on an Anthrax drug produced by a biotech firm he had a stake in.

"Money flow and our desire to keep this away from media scrutiny complicates the resolution of this..."

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:49:56 -0400

“Money flow and our desire to keep this away from media scrutiny complicates the resolution of this matter.”

- Email from New York State Assembly lawyer Bill Collins regardingharassment claims against Vito Lopez. A new report released by state regulators suggests senior lawmakers actively shielded Lopez from allegations of sexual harassment.

A slide from a recent “Dress for Success”...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:00:39 -0400

A slide from a recent “Dress for Success” presentation given at the Defense Intelligence Agency. The presentation recommended that women dress conservatively, but that they not take a “Plain Jane” approach to makeup.

“Even smart people do dumb things sometimes,” the DIA director said, in an email to employees apologizing for the training.

"What it boils down to is this: If you electrocute an eagle, that is bad, but if you chop it to..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:58:31 -0400

“What it boils down to is this: If you electrocute an eagle, that is bad, but if you chop it to pieces, that is OK.”

- a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement agent, on the double standard of punishing companies for killing eagles. When oil companies do it, they’re prosecuted, when wind farms do, they’re shielded from liability.

(Via AP)

"The IRS would like to apologize for that."

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:03:25 -0400

“The IRS would like to apologize for that.”

- Lois Lerner says the IRS is sorry for “inappropriately” targeting about 75 conservative political groups during the 2012 campaign.

"Now whether she was better roasted, boiled or carbonado’d (barbecued), I know not, but of such a..."

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:23:17 -0400

“Now whether she was better roasted, boiled or carbonado’d (barbecued), I know not, but of such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of.”

- Capt. John Smith’s account of one colonist’s murder by cannibalism. According to scientists, archaeological evidence now proves that American settlers in fact turned to cannibalism for survival.

Screenshot of an image that Middle Tennessee Commissioner Barry...

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:27:19 -0400

Screenshot of an image that Middle Tennessee Commissioner Barry West posted on Facebook.

He responded in an email to The Tennessean: “No I did not Twitter this … no I did not create this picture … yes I shared it … so why am I being singled out?”

"We’ve had enough Bushes."

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:46:32 -0400

“We’ve had enough Bushes.”

- Barbara Bush on why she doesn’t see her son Jeb running for president in 2016. via CNN

"If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and fifty dollars in cash. I don’t care..."

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:29 -0400

“If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and fifty dollars in cash. I don’t care if a drone kills him or a policeman kills him.”

- Rand Paul, elaborating on his position on drones.

"Go to sleep or I will call the planes."

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:37:00 -0400

“Go to sleep or I will call the planes.”

- How some Yemeni parents warn their children, according to activist Farea al-Muslimi, testifying before Congress on the use of drones. (via The Washington Post)

“They might try to jew me down on a...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:24:00 -0400

“They might try to jew me down on a price.”

-Oklahoma State Rep. Dennis Johnson, on haggling with customers as a small business owner.

“I apologize to the Jews,” Johnson said a minute later, after someone comments on his use of the slur. “They’re good small businessmen as well.”

(h/t Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire)

A tick-tock of CNN’s “very cautious and speculative” coverage of...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:37:21 -0400

A tick-tock of CNN’s “very cautious and speculative” coverage of the Boston bombing investigation. via BuzzFeed

"I’m comfortable with what I did."

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:08:28 -0400

“I’m comfortable with what I did.”

- Former president George W. Bush, on Iraq.

(h/t @DavidGrann)

"The president did not communicate with Jay-Z over this trip."

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:06:35 -0400

“The president did not communicate with Jay-Z over this trip.”

- Press Secretary Jay Carney, responding to questions about rap lyrics that imply Obama cleared Jay-Z’s trip to Cuba.

“I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury,” Carney said, of the department in charge of travel licenses.

"If I were to have said, ‘Who do you think the founders of the NAACP are?’ . . . would everybody in..."

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:41:54 -0400

“If I were to have said, ‘Who do you think the founders of the NAACP are?’ . . . would everybody in here know they were all Republicans?”

- Sen. Rand Paul attempts to pop-quiz students during a visit to Howard University about the origins of the Republican Party. He added, “The argument I’m trying to make is we haven’t changed.”

"We’re in deep doo-doo."

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:00:29 -0400

“We’re in deep doo-doo.”

- Former Vice President Dick Cheney on the crisis in North Korea.

(from CNN)

"I would point out that if you’re a believer in the Bible, one would have to say the Great..."

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:41:44 -0400

“I would point out that if you’re a believer in the Bible, one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change.”

- Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) explaining a ‘divergence of evidence’ on global warming.