Everyone like the salad?

'How did everyone like the salad?': Klobuchar riffs on staff controversies at Gridiron dinner

By CHRISTIAN VASQUEZ

Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Saturday poked fun at her reputation for being a tough boss — and reports she once ate a salad with a comb — kicking off her address to the annual Gridiron Club dinner by asking, "How did everyone like the salad?"

The Democratic senator from Minnesota and 2020 presidential candidate added: "I thought it was OK, but it needed just a little more scalp oil and a pinch of dandruff."

More than 700 journalists, politicians and members of the Washington elite gathered for the 134th Gridiron Club dinner at the Renaissance Washington Hotel, where skits, songs and self-deprecation were the evening's entertainment. Klobuchar spoke for the Democrats; Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana spoke for the Republicans.

Klobuchar, who entered the presidential race on Feb. 10 amid media reports alleging she had treated her staff harshly, delivered on the expectation she would address the now-infamous comb anecdote (per a New York Times report) that she was once given a salad sans fork by a staffer during a flight. Klobuchar pulled a comb from her handbag and ate the salad with it, then tasked the unfortunate staffer with washing it.

Although Klobuchar issued a statement to the Minnesota-based Star Tribune late Friday promising to do better by her staff, she also addressed the matter during her lighthearted address, saying: "So when Jerry [Seib] called about tonight he asked, 'Do you need a microphone or do you just prefer to yell at everyone?' I said, 'microphone.'"

She also referenced the 2016 presidential election while speaking about her current run for the White House.

"In the end, how can I lose? My campaign will combine the short peppy speeches of Joe Biden, the common touch of Mike Bloomberg, the collegiality of Ted Cruz and the chipper upbeat personality of Bernie Sanders.

"I will win this election because I’m a woman and all the powerful people in the room told me it’s a sure thing. What could possibly go wrong?

"All I know is, if the election ends up before the Supreme Court, I’m gonna count Brett Kavanaugh as a no."

Earlier, Seib, the Gridiron Club president and executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal, poked fun at the opaque special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election during the traditional "Speech in the Dark."

“We call this the Speech in the Dark, which is also where Bob Mueller has kept ... journalists for the last two years,” Seib said.

The evening's theme was Queen, with a satirical version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" performed as the opening number in a medley of acts: "Nancy Pelosi" (not the real Pelosi, of course) sang "Killer Queen": "Sunglasses, orange coat / a dinner knife held to your throat." And "Roger Stone" and "Paul Manafort" sang "We’re the Well-dressed Trumpians" ("We are the Champions").

Ivanka Trump filled the White House speaking slot after her father had spoken for two hours at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference earlier in the day.

Referencing Chris Christie's accusations that her husband, Jared Kushner, had blocked him from running the Trump transition team, she joked: "To be honest, I was not my father's first choice to speak tonight. I don't know who was, but reports are already beginning to surface that Chris Christie is saying that he was the president's first choice but that Jared blocked him.

"In all seriousness, my father asked me to share his warm regards and best wishes to all in attendance and regrets that he himself cannot join us on this wonderful evening," she said. "The opportunity to poke fun at the media is not something that he passes up lightly."

Members of Trump’s Cabinet in attendance included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer.

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also attended.