Ever wonder what it’s like to cover the self-proclaimed “most transparent administration” in history? Well, look no further.
In honor of this weekend’s White House Correspondents Dinner, POLITICO Magazine got the scoop from more than 60 White House reporters on what it’s really like to cover 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
POLITICO asked those dutiful correspondents to describe their reactions when President Barack Obama brags about just how incredibly transparent his administration is.
We’ve compiled some of the best — and most honest — answers. Check them out:
To roll my eyes. Transparency is in the eye of the beholder, and the eyes that see the “most transparency” are very beholden to the president. — Major Garrett of CBS News
Prove it, Mr. President! —Takaaki Abe of Nippon Television
To search online for “most powerful cricket team in Alaska” while I order another round. — Olivier Knox of Yahoo! News
The history of which country? —Keith Koffler of White House Dossier
To groan. Depends on what your definition of “transparent” is. This WH means it is transparent for putting its own version of pictures, video and readouts on its own website. — Ann Compton of ABC News
Bulls**t. — Scott Horsley of NPR
To take another Jaeger shot in my imaginary drinking game. — Glenn Thrush of POLITICO Magazine
Not so much. —Todd Purdum of POLITICO/Vanity Fair
Really? — Peter Kleim of RTL/n-tv German TV
I think he has to do a little more work to make that a reality. — Jonathan Karl of ABC News
“Methinks thou doth protest too much.” — Mark S. Smith of the Associated Press
That he and I have different understandings of the term. — Josh Gerstein of POLITICO
