Members of the White House Press Corps appeared to be thrilled when press secretary Jen Psaki offered homemade chocolate chip cookies Friday — but one reporter had a very different response when former press secretary Sarah Sanders offered her pie.
Reporters who attended Friday’s White House press briefing could be heard saying “Thank you” almost in unison as Psaki announced that she had brought cookies, made for the Press Corps by her mother-in-law. (RELATED: CNN’s April Ryan Suggests Without Evidence Sarah Sanders Faked Her Pie)
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Psaki went on to clarify that the cookies would be distributed in a “COVID-safe” fashion as reporters left the briefing room.
Just before Thanksgiving of 2017, however, another White House press secretary received a very different reaction to her offer of homemade pecan pie.
April Ryan, who at the time was working as the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, accused Sanders of sharing a photo of a fake pie.
“I am not trying to be funny but folks are already saying #piegate and #fakepie Show it to us on the table with folks eating it and a pic of you cooking it,” Ryan challenged. “I am getting the biggest laugh out of this.”
I am not trying to be funny but folks are already saying #piegate and #fakepie Show it to us on the table with folks eating it and a pic of you cooking it. I am getting the biggest laugh out of this. I am thankful for this laugh on Black Friday! https://t.co/ifeSBlSZW7
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 24, 2017
Sanders responded by offering to bake Ryan a pie as proof that she made it, but Ryan suggested that Sanders couldn’t be trusted to bake for reporters.
“Okay I want to watch you bake it and put it on the table. But forgive I won’t eat it. Remember you guys don’t like the press,” she tweeted.
Okay I want to watch you bake it and put it on the table. But forgive I won’t eat it. Remember you guys don’t like the press. https://t.co/gcAt1Sl32i
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 25, 2017
Ryan doubled down, saying again that “trust and believe” she would not be eating any pie that Sanders brought into the briefing room.
“But I will be raising my hand for answers relevant questions,” she added.
@PressSec you can bring any pie you like, store bought or homemade into the briefing room. But, trust and believe I will not be eating it. But I will be raising my hand for answers relevant questions.
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 25, 2017
The situation finally came to a head when Sanders presented Ryan with her own pie to take home.
It’s pie time! With or without bourbon @AprilDRyan? #piegate pic.twitter.com/2xw58FDFg6
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) December 14, 2017
Pie-gate 2017 comes to an end as @PressSec Sarah Sanders presents @AprilDRyan with homemade Chocolate pecan pie pic.twitter.com/bMhN0DhncA
— Michelle Moons Dawi (@MichelleDiana) December 14, 2017
Tweets from Sanders during her time as White House press secretary were archived under the official @PressSec account, which now shows fellow former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s name.