Word on the Hill: When Kinzinger Isn’t a Congressman

By Alex Gangitano

Posted October 30, 2017 at 5:00am

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., is a pilot in the Air National Guard, which is a hard balance with his life in Congress, since members of the military are supposed to keep their politics to themselves.

He joined Barstool Sports’ Zero Blog Thirty podcast for a pilot-heavy episode in which he talks about that division.

“I literally, in essence, hit kind of a personality wall the second I go on the pay status with the Guard,” Kinzinger said. “I’m a major at that point, I’ll salute lieutenant colonels, all this kind of stuff, and you know, a lot of times people want to [talk] about my civilian job, and that’s cool. Of course they’ll want to talk politics, but I’m very careful.”

“For me, it’s fun because it gives me an opportunity to not be a congressman, really,” he said.

Your social calendar for the week

Tuesday

Halloween is for the dogs. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., hosts a Senate Halloween dog costume celebration, tentatively scheduled for 5:30 p.m. outside his office. Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 185.

Wednesday

An Economist-branded food truck hits D.C., selling the meat-free Beyond Burger. Be on the lookout. (The Economist Group is Roll Call’s parent company.)

Thursday

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden talks with filmmaker Christopher Nolan about film preservation and his recent projects, including “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Dunkirk” and “Inception.” 7:30 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium inside the Thomas Jefferson Building. Free and open to the public; register here.

The 44th Annual Conference on D.C. History, hosted by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., kicks off with sessions exploring the pivotal year of 1968. Thursday through Sunday at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (1313 New York Ave. NW). Registration closed.

Gardner prods Perry for the Upside Down

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., a fan of the Netflix show “Stranger Things,” had some questions for Energy Secretary Rick Perry about whether there are any portals to the Upside Down in Department of Energy facilities.

Hearing reports of a possible #UpsideDownWorld portal back this week. Not sure if it’s true, but @Stranger_Things have happened.

— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) October 27, 2017

.@SecretaryPerry, have you ever seen any signs of the #UpsideDownWorld portal in your visits to our National Labs? https://t.co/0UPJEseAuM

— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) October 27, 2017

Our #NationalLabs haven’t found the #UpsideDown but @INL separates #StrangerThings fact from fiction here: https://t.co/EHUjAsocHj https://t.co/WniMZlsvqI

— Rick Perry (@SecretaryPerry) October 27, 2017

Credit from Hatch

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, admitted that a joke aimed at him was funny. The exchange began when his office tweeted, “Nobody has done more for Utah tech and for @siliconslopes than the tech Godfather, Senator Orrin Hatch.”

A user responded, “You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married, and you ask me to approve a data center for money.”

The senator used a “Godfather” gif to respond.

This was a clever tweet. Credit where credit is due. pic.twitter.com/CtiSZixA01

— Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) October 27, 2017

Who’s Kevin Nunez?

Former game show host Chuck Woolery tweeted that Congressman #KevinNunez is a “lonely voice in the wilderness” as a Republican from California. An account impersonating Stephen Miller, White House senior adviser, corrected Woolery and noted that Nunes’ name is Devin.

Give Congressman #KevinNunez a lot of credit. He deserves every bit of it. Republican California. A lonely voice in the wilderness

— Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) October 27, 2017

Devin

— Stephen Miller (@Pol_Advisor) October 27, 2017

Staffer shuffle

Michael Eisenstatt’s last day as Rep. Steve Cohen’s, D-Tenn., communications director was on Friday. Bartholomew Sullivan has been named the new communications director.

New burger in town

Shake Shack is launching a burger today that will be sold exclusively in D.C. The Mushroom Swiss Shack is a Swiss cheese burger topped with caramelized onions, crimini mushrooms and herb cheese spread. Only Shake Shack locations within the Beltway (that includes Union Station, staffers!) will be selling the burger.