White House takes Twitter question from ghost of fictional character
This was probably a first for Robert Gibbs.
During a Twitter Q&A on Tuesday, the White House press secretary answered a question posed by @McGarrysGhost, an account inspired by fictional "West Wing" character Leo McGarry.
McGarry, who was the president's chief of staff in the award-winning series, asked Gibbs, "Was the tax deal brokered yesterday intentionally designed as a de facto second stimulus package?"
Gibbs laughed as he answered.
"We'll take our first Twitter question from Leo Thomas McGarry, which if I'm not mistaken was Josiah Bartlet's chief of staff in 'West Wing.' So I'm entirely sure this is a made-up account, but it's a good question."
"The package was not brokered intentionally to do that. ... The president was animated to ensure that the agreement helped our economy grow and create jobs," Gibbs said.
The McGarry account has 1,467 followers.
The character was played by John Spencer from September 1999 to December 2005, when Spencer - who won an Emmy for the role in 2002 - died suddenly of a heart attack.
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