Usually, the White House just puts words into Scott McClellan’s mouth. Last week, the press office tried to wrench them into the transcripts of White House briefings provided by CQ and the Federal News Service. At issue: McClellan’s uncharacteristically candid affirmation of a statement by NBC’s David Gregory, set forth by CQ and FNS as:

The White House heard it differently:

The thoughtful White House press operation called CQ and FNS to complain. Er, to correct. Media maven Dana Perino told CQ she “just [wanted] to let you know it is not accurate, as you had it in the transcript.” Also, she added, war is peace and freedom is slavery. FYI.
Full CQ story after the jump. DISCLAIMER: We hesitate to rob CQ of their $35K a year per sub by providing this article free of charge, especially since some portion of that fee pays the rent. Another portion goes for the gin. Also, Chris Lehmann is my husband.
Watch for yourself here. The exchange starts about 5:30 into the briefing.
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Tags: cq, david gregory, fns, press corps, scott mcclellan, white house
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