Stillwater native Denis McDonough, President Obama's chief of staff, was seen greeting returning federal workers at the White House gates Thursday morning, marking the end of the 16-day federal government shutdown.
McDonough was described by White House press pool reporter Alexis Simendinger of RealClearPolitics "in shirt sleeves and with a No. 2 pencil above his right ear…greeting returning workers shortly after 9 a.m. at the [northwest] guard gate."
According to Simendinger, the former St. John's football player "could be heard saying 'Good Morning!' in a loud voice, patting the shoulders of workers and exchanging a few cheery remarks."
