Washington Post national political correspondent Karen Tumulty was packing up some of her things to move to a new office when she unearthed some old documents, including a press release from the late U.S. Sen. Howell Heflin (D-Ala.) that she called the “best ever.” Heflin served as Alabama’s junior U.S. senator from 1979 until being succeeded by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) in 1997.
“There are some artifacts that you come to realize are real treasures,” Tumulty explained on Time Magazine’s blog. “Like my favorite press release of all time. It is dated July 19, 1994, and was issued by then-Senator Howell Heflin’s office. That morning, the Senator had been dining in the Capitol with some Alabama reporters, and suddenly felt a sniffle coming on. The reporters were aghast when the Senator reached into his pocket, pulled out a bit of fabric and began to wipe his nose with … a pair of ladies underwear. Hence the following:
STATEMENT OF SEN. HOWELL HEFLIN
HANDKERCHIEF
JULY 19, 1994I mistakenly picked up a pair of my wife’s white panties and put them in my pocket while I was rushing out the door to go to work.
Rather than take a chance on being embarrassed again, I’m going to start buying colored handkerchiefs.
“Yep,” Tumulty concluded, “that’s one press release that I’m hanging on to.”
Packing up things to take to new office. Another keeper: best congressional press release ever. pic.twitter.com/Jz0HDFAzNz
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) November 23, 2015
Tumulty also found a memo from way back in 1971 from then-President Richard Nixon to his chief of staff H.R. Haldeman that gives some interesting insight into Nixon’s approach to the press.
Packing up things to take to new office. A keeper: best presidential memo ever @dick_nixon pic.twitter.com/49YsauiYOV
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) November 23, 2015
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