Visitors Logs

Who Visited The White House (And Why You Should Care)

Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 4:38PM

White House

Taking a step back, let's evaluate what the release of 1,615 visitors to the White House show us.

* First, it's a busy White House.

President Obama has often been accused of doing too much, and it's clear from the frequency the gates open that his team has dozens of balls up in the air at once.

From health care summits, education strategy talks with state and big-city officials in the Oval Office and meetings with industry leaders to press interviews, poetry readings and the luau for members of Congress, by all accounts there is never a dull moment at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Visitors Logs

FCC Chairman Jules Genachowski On White House Visitors List 46 Times

Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 3:07PM

Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

FCC Chairman Jules Genachowski has been a frequent White House visitor, both before and after getting the job.

His first meeting on Feb. 18, according to the White House visitors logs released today, was several weeks before he was nominated for the job.

He came again Feb. 24 to meet with Pete Rouse.

The day before President Obama nominated him, Genachowski met with both David Axelrod and Valerie Jarret, presidential advisers.

He was nominated March 3.

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Barack Obama

UPDATED: Some War! Chamber CEO Visited White House Ten Times

Zachary Roth | November 25, 2009, 2:54PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

Last month, the White House was accused of launching "a frontal assault against free enterprise and the Chamber of Commerce," by an executive of the business lobby.

It's true that the White house signaled its intention to play hardball with the Chamber. But it's not like the group has been shut out from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since Obama took office.

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Visitors Logs

UPDATED: White House 'Message Meeting' For Pundits On List

Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 2:28PM

A group of Democratic talking heads gathered at the White House March 13 for a meeting with Ellen Moran and David Axelrod.

The White House visitors logs released today show Axelrod, President Obama's senior adviser, met that day for about two hours in the West Wing with 18 people. Among them were Chris Kofinis, Karen Finney, Margaret Omero, Margaret Myers, Steve McMahon, Peter Fenn, Michael Feldman, Jennifer Palmeri, Hillary Rosen, Simon Rosenberg, Brad Woodhouse (of the DNC) and Mo Elleithee.

It was called a "communications message meeting" on the spreadsheet.

A source who attended the meeting tells TPMDC the White House hosts weekly message calls sharing their talking points with pundits who appear on television. The meetings are sometimes hosted in person at the White House. The March meeting actually was called and led by Moran, then communications director. She has since departed the White House.

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Visitors Logs

New Logs Show Obama's Private Oval Office Meeting With Colin Powell On Afghanistan

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 25, 2009, 2:25PM

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell

New visitors logs released by the White House today seem to confirm that Colin Powell has been among those President Obama has consulted with while drafting a new strategy for Afghanistan.

The logs don't include any details of the meeting, other than the fact that it was between the two men alone. That makes it one of less than a dozen total one-on-one meetings with Obama included in today's list.

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Barack Obama

MoveOn's Pariser Met With Obama

Zachary Roth | November 25, 2009, 2:15PM

Eli Pariser, former executive director of MoveOn.org

If you've been feeling like President Obama has shut out his progressive base since taking office, you might be mildly comforted to know that the POTUS met directly with MoveOn's Eli Pariser back in February, according to White House visitor logs.

Pariser is the former executive director, and current board preisdnet, of MoveOn.org.

Another MoveOn leader doesn't seem to have had as much access. Joan Blades, one half of the California couple that founded the group, made her own White House visit in March, but it was with a mid-level aide to Michelle Obama.

Visitors Logs

Chevron CEO Visited Five Times, Had One-on-One With Rahm

Rachel Slajda | November 25, 2009, 2:02PM

David J. O'Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chevron Co.

David J. O'Reilly, the chairman and CEO of Chevron Corp., visited the White House at least five times this year, including a one-on-one meeting with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Sept. 17.

O'Reilly also met once with Carol Browner, the director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, on Feb. 10. He met twice with Larry Summers, the director of the National Economic Council, once on Feb. 10 and once on Sept. 18.

He was also part of the audience when President Obama spoke to the Business Council on Feb. 13.

Barack Obama

Cory Booker Met With Obama, Jarrett

Zachary Roth | November 25, 2009, 1:56PM

Newark Mayor Cory Booker

Newark mayor Cory Booker has visited President Obama's White House four times, including one meeting with the president himself, according to the White House visitor logs that were released this afternoon.

The meeting with Obama occurred in March. There was another White House visit later that month for Booker, as well as one in May. And in August, Booker met with Valerie Jarrett, a close confidante of the president.

Booker and Obama have long been political allies, and some observers have noted that Booker's "post-racial' political style echoes the president's own.

Visitors Logs

White House Visitors Logs: Who Came To See President Obama?

Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 1:13PM

White House

The White House just posted more than 1,600 records of visitors who came through the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this year. The release includes the names of people who visited President Obama and other top officials.

Check out the names here, and TPMDC will update readers as we go through the names.

As we reported earlier, the White House is releasing the names from before Sept. 15 as part of its new transparency policy.

It's an earlier release than expected due to the holiday.

They are the first administration in history to release the names of people who have visited the White House. Read through our coverage of the release here. The spreadsheet is more detailed than the last one, offering a description of the meeting.

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Visitors Logs

No Pardon For The Press: WH Visitors' Names Being Released Today

Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 10:24AM

President Barack Obama

The White House this afternoon will be releasing more names of visitors who came through the gates at Pennsylvania Avenue this year.

Last month the administration for the first time offered citizens a look at names - requested by watchdog groups and press - and starting at the end of this year they will release every name.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters in his morning gaggle this morning there are about 1,600 names on this list that covers requests before Sept. 15.

The names would normally come out at the end of the day the last Friday of the month. They are being posted at WhiteHouse.gov early due to the holiday.