A view of the Washington Monument from inside the Ground Floor Corridor where visitors enter the White House: Glynn Wilson
By Glynn Wilson –
WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the past three years I have chased a dream to visit the White House and stand on the same hallowed ground where so much American history has taken place in the nation’s capital.
Finally, thanks to the helpful staff of Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, the Congressman from Greenbelt, Maryland, I lived that dream on Wednesday, August 30.
They didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for me, but they did let me in – no thanks to five members of Congress from my home state of Alabama.
Rolling out the red carpet in the East Wing of the White House: Glynn Wilson
Congressman Bradley Byrne of Mobile had vowed to help, but my tour request was turned down in an email message from President Donald Trump’s Press Secretary Sean Spicer. I had requested a tour from Congresswoman Terry Sewell of Birmingham, whose district I lived in before making the trip to D.C. three years ago. I never even got a response from her, or Senators Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby or Luther Strange.
But on a recent trip to the United States Capitol building I went across the street to the Longworth House Office Building and introduced myself to the staff of Mr. Hoyer. They gave me gallery passes and helped set up the tour.
No, I did not run into President Trump, but I think we saw his entourage on the way out. The Secret Service would not say when they kept us locked in for an extra 15 minutes. It could have been the motorcade of Vice President Mike Pence (see photo below).
I was a little surprised by the small number of protesters outside the White House, considering the controversial policies and statements of this administration. But I guess the activists on the left are all tied up with the fights over Confederate statues in places like Charlottsville, Virginia.
As I have already reported, it is a bit surprising that more people are not protesting the statue of Robert E. Lee in the center of power in Washington, the U.S. Capitol.
Why is Robert E. Lee’s Statue in the U.S. Capitol Not Yet the Subject of Controversy?
After the official tour, I went across the street to see the White House Visitor Center, administered by one of my favorite federal agencies, the National Park Service.
All in all it was a great experience and I’m glad I lived to see this in person. Now if the House Periodical Press Gallery committee will just hold a meeting and vote to approve my press credentials to cover Congress, I can get on with the business I came here to do: Hold our public officials accountable. I have already identified several stories the mainstream media is ignoring, including a story I spent much of last year reporting on: The move to privatize our national parks and allow private companies to suck the profits out of the parks.
This was already going on under former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and even Barack Obama. But it is clear the Trump administration, under Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, is moving with all deliberate speed in that direction.
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More Photos
A view of the East Entrance to the White House: Glynn Wilson
A view of the Washington Monument from the East Entrance to the White House: Glynn Wilson
The East Entrance to the White House with the Washington Monument in view: Glynn Wilson
The East Entrance to the White House: Glynn Wilson
Rooms and Furniture
A view of the White House Library: Glynn Wilson
The White House State Dining Room: Glynn Wilson
The Eagle-Leg Piano,
The most famous piano in the White House, is the Steinway grand piano with gilt American eagle supports designed by Eric Gugler (with help from Franklin Roosevelt) and was given to the White House in 1938. It is decorated with gilt stenciling by Dunbar Beck. It is normally kept in the East Room, but sometimes used in the Entrance Hall.
Paintings
A portrait of George Washington, the first president of the U.S., hangs in the White House State Dining Room: Glynn Wilson
A portrait of Benjamin Franklin in the Green Room of the White House: Glynn Wilson
The official White House portrait of John F. Kennedy, a.k.a. the Contemplative Kennedy: Glynn Wilson
Rocky Mountain Landscape, a painting by Albert Beerstadt, hangs in the Red Room of the White House: Glynn Wilson
A portrait of John Adams, the second president of the United States, hangs in the White House Blue Room: Glynn Wilson
A portrait of First Lady Hillary Clinton hangs at the entrance to the White House West Wing: Glynn Wilson
Color Photos
First Lady Michelle and President Obama in the White House with leaders from India: Glynn Wilson
A White House picture of President Bill Clinton with the torch bearer of the 1996 Summper Olympics in Atlanta: Glynn Wilson
A picture of President Jimmy Carter signing a peace treaty with the leaders of Isreal and Egypt: Glynn Wilson
Stautues and Sculptures
A statue of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in the White House: Glynn Wilson
Meat for Wild Men, a sculpture by Charles M. Russell, inside the White House: Glynn Wilson
Coming Through the Rye, a sculpture by Frederic Remington, in the White House: Glynn Wilson
Black and White Photos
The famous picture of JFK with kids John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Kennedy: Glynn Wilson
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with Martin Luther King Jr. standing behind him: Glynn Wilson
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president of the radio news era: Glynn Wilson
President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service on August 25, 1916: Glynn Wilson
A photo of President John F. Kennedy with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at a party in the White House: Glynn Wilson
Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson in the White House: Glynn Wilson
Outside the White House
A motorcade outside the East Entrance to the White House: Glynn Wilson
Protesters outside the White House by Lafeyette Square Park: Glynn Wilson
A long-standing peace vigil outside the White House: Glynn Wilson
The information desk in the official White House Visitor’s Center run by the National Park Service: Glynn Wilson
A view of the White House in the NPS Visitor’s Center: Glynn Wilson
A picture of the White House enshrouded in snow in the National Park Service Visitor’s Center: Glynn Wilson
Self Portraits
A picture of Glynn Wilson in the White House by a tourist.
A self portrait in one of the large mirrors inside the White House: Glynn Wilson
A self portrait in one of the large mirrors in the White House: Glynn Wilson
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Terri Sewell refused to meet with me in DC-told me to make an appointment at the Birmingham office, after dozens of request, I am still waiting for an answer… Luther Strange has written me over a dozen times, all ignoring my subject matter and asking for money to “support Trump’s conservative agenda.” If there ever was a draining of the massive swamp, these two would, no doubt, be caught up in it… Here is a DEM and GOP example of how politicians feel we serve them, until an election year….