enough to make you laugh
Bush calls a halt to paying columnists for PR
By Associated Press | January 27, 2005
WASHINGTON -- President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries yesterday not to hire columnists to promote their agendas after disclosure that a second writer was paid to research an administration initiative.
The president said he expects his agency heads will ''make sure that that practice doesn't go forward."
''All our Cabinet secretaries must realize that we will not be paying commentators to advance our agenda. Our agenda ought to be able to stand on its own two feet," Bush said at a news conference.
Bush's remarks came a day after syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher apologized to readers for not disclosing a $21,500 contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help create materials promoting the agency's $300 million initiative to encourage marriage.
Bush also said the White House had not been aware that the Education Department paid commentator and columnist Armstrong Williams $240,000 to plug its policies. That contract came to light Jan. 7.
Bush said there ''needs to be a nice independent relationship between the White House and the press, the administration and the press."