The latest political memoir to be ruffling feathers in Washington is Chasing Hillary by The New York Times' Amy Chozick, who followed Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election. The book, which has been described as "rollicking," "surprisingly intimate," and occasionally "perceptive, pithy, and surprising," has upset a number of its subjects, including, BuzzFeed News reports, Chozick's colleagues at the Times.
One group that fared particularly unwell is "Hillary's court of flattering men," which Chozick shortens to "The Guys." Each Guy has a pseudonym to protect his identity (or pride) — Original Guy, Brown Loafers Guy, Outsider Guy — although as Politico's Playbook team demonstrated Friday, it isn't exactly difficult to figure out who's who.
The Guys, for their part, aren't too thrilled with their names. Chozick describes Hired Gun Guy, aka Brian Fallon, as "the poor man's Ben Affleck," and when asked for a reaction by Politico, Fallon said: "Does this mean I have to go get an awful back tattoo?" Outsider Guy, aka Matt McKenna, responded to a question about his pseudonym by saying: "Am I Outsider Guy? Does a bear s--t in the woods?"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Original Guy, aka Philippe Reines, had his own name ready for Chozick when Politico asked: "Error-Prone and Libelous Reporter Gal." Read the full unmasking at Politico.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
