BREAKING NEWS: WH aide dresses way too nice

Apparently that's what the party crasher story now revolves around, the fact that President Obama's social secretary, Desiree Rogers, wears designer dresses and, frankly, is a bit too full of herself.

That was certainly the take-away from the WashPost's thoroughly bitchy Wednesday profile by the newspaper fashion writer Robin Givhan. A classic hit piece, the Post article was loaded with venom and backed up by very few facts, and even fewer quotes. It was a classic hit piece in that prior to Wednesday, apparently the only person making the central charge in the article (i.e. that Rogers was "too busy basking in the limelight" to squash the party crashers) was the person writing the article; Givhan. Who then spent the entire article failing to prove the charge.

Noted Ta-Nehisi Coates at The Atlantic:

Here's a piece that will get you flunked out J-school. Robin Givhan barks at Desiree Rogers like she stole something--namely, her man--and makes the case for utter overuse of anonymous sourcing or, in some cases, no sourcing at all:

One of the oddest portions of the article was Givhan, who writes about fashion, criticized Rogers for caring too much about fashion: 

Early in her tenure, Rogers made a trip to New York City during February's fashion week. She sat in the front row of runway shows such as Donna Karan and smiled for the flock of photographers who descended on the striking Obama gatekeeper with her pixie cut, stylish wardrobe and high-altitude heels. She dabbled in a world of hipsters and art scene know-it-alls in her attempt to bring a contemporary gleam to the White House. And she seemed to thrive on all the attention. She has come across as a big-picture manager, not one focused on details.  

Readers were supposed to recoil in horror, I suppose. But note this nugget from the Chicago Tribune's Swamp blog, regarding the questions Givhan herself was asking the night of the WH state dinner:

A certain reporter was commenting on the attire that Rogers herself had donned for the occasion that night - a pale peach gown from the Japanese designer, Comme des Garcons.

...

The Post's own social correspondent, Robin Givhan, who was standing next to the print pool reporter working the dinner, asked Rogers that night: "Are you wearing Comme Des Garcons?"

"Of course," Rogers replied.

So, on the night of the state dinner, Post writer Givhan was very interested in which designer Rogers was wearing. But by Wednesday, Post writer Givhan, now penning a hit piece, had decided that nobody really cared which designer Rogers was wearing; except Rogers.

Sadly, that was not the end of the story. In fact, yesterday it seemed to gain momentum. Read this rather amazing back-and-forth from the WH press briefing. (Mediaite, has the video.) The reporter asking the loaded questions about Rogers (questions clearly inspired by the Post hit piece) was April Ryan from American Urban Radio Networks [emphasis added]. 

Q. Has there been any concern about Desiree Rogers’ performance prior to this instance?

Mr. Gibbs: No.

Q. No one has questioned the president or told the president that she is a very last-minute person, poor planner?

Mr. Gibbs: No, I think you — you all have been to and seen, either whether you’re part of a pool, whether some of you’ve been to receptions, the remarkable work that they have done in pulling off a lot of events here. The first family is quite pleased with her performance, and I’ve heard nothing uttered of what you talked about.

Q. Well, what about the issues of her being in fashion spreads early on in the administration? Did you put the brakes on that? I mean, that is — it’s been raised. It’s now public. It’s — you know, you saw it in the magazines, her pictorials. You saw her on the cover of –

Mr. Gibbs: There’s a — I get Sports Illustrated in my house.

Q. Was there a concern in this White House that she came out being, some might have called her the belle of the ball, overshadowing the First Lady?

Mr. Gibbs: I don't know who "some" are, but I've never heard that.

Q. It's been bantered around Washington. It's been in Democratic circles as well as Republican circles, by high-ranking people.

...

Q. Did she invite herself to this dinner or was she a guest? Did the president invite her or did she put her name [on the list.] Did she invite herself?!

Wow. Just, wow.