The head White House florist has “quietly” left her job.
A report in WaPo says “rumors are flying” as to why she resigned. But as is typical of a gossip column in WaPo, they won’t actually reveal what any of those rumors are. Thanks WaPo! This is why I have an entire feature about “Why Washington D.C. Gossip Sucks.”
Nitpicking, aside, what’s intriguing in the item is the fact that head florist Laura Dowling felt the need to release a statement through her lawyer. Who does that?
WaPo reports this week that Dowling was “escorted from the building” on Feb. 13. Pretty harsh timing. The eve of Valentine’s Day and among the biggest flower days of the year?
In a statement per her attorneys at Sidley Austin — a firm that has 18 offices around the world, including Beijing, Singapore, Sydney, Brussels and Washington — she “resigned to pursue exciting new opportunities.”
It’s hard to fathom what opportunity could be better for a florist than working in the White House, which includes that bizarre al fresco floral area known as the Rose Garden.
And finally, a goose egg of a final quote.
Those rumors are flying. “I’m not sure what the reason is,” said WaPo‘s anonymous source. “But I can think of a few.”
Come on, D.C. The NYP would be embarrassed not to dish a little.