Pols and Pundits Keep Coming Up With Far-Fetched TSA Shutdown Anecdotes…And Nobody’s Really Buying Them
TSA agents across the country have reportedly been calling in sick at much higher rates than normal due to the government shutdown. But the ones who are showing up to work are apparently eager to engage in political discussions…which just happen to conform perfectly to the beliefs of their screenees.
This week, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), MSNBC Morning Joe regular Mike Barnicle, and Donald Trump campaign advisor Katrina Pierson are among those who have had interactions about politics with TSA agents. And hey, what are the odds?! In each of their stories, the TSA agents’ views aligned fully with their own!
Going through TSA Pre✔️at #DFW and a man in front of me started apologizing to agents (5) for the shutdown chaos and said, “Congress could end this tomorrow.” The agents – nearly in unison – replied, “Yes – but the Democrats are all on a beach in Puerto Rico.” ?
— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) January 16, 2019
So hard going through the airport today. I looked into the eyes of our workers who deserve better. A TSA officer said: "Don't stop fighting. Keep it up." I broke down & felt the weight of the responsibility on me. I will never become numb to the human impact. We must end this.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 14, 2019
TSA guy at LaGuardia Airport when asked if he’s getting paid: “No and I voted for him, the f***in’ Bozo.”
— Mike Barnicle (@mikebarnicle) January 14, 2019
Needless to say, these tales are being met with great skepticism across the Twitter-verse. Here’s a sampling of the reaction:
please stop making up perfectly on-point TSA anecdotes, they are worse than your woke 8 year old. pic.twitter.com/kMhaLGVcEA
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) January 16, 2019
I was just in a hipster coffee shop where a group of TSA agents who moonlight as Benedectine monks broke out in a Gregorian chant calling on Pelosi to approve 4 trillion dollars for the solid platinum border wall.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) January 16, 2019
Ladies, unless you're tweeting that when you went through TSA today, you overheard some dude saying how he wished he could get a look at your autoporn machine pic because he likes boobies, I am not gonna believe anything you tweet about "TSA agent said this."
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) January 16, 2019
At the airport a TSA agent said to me that he thinks everyone should buy a copy of my book. He also said my dog tweets are great and that the TV show Lost made no sense. At that point another agent said "Ditto. Also it's a hard G in Gif!"
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) January 16, 2019
I'm at a hipster security checkpoint with a bunch of TSA liberals singing in haunting, harmonized falsetto about how shutdown polling isn't as strongly favorable to the Democrats as headlines might indicate
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) January 16, 2019
Going through TSA and I stopped to ask three agents if they were getting paid. They all broke down in tears and began telling me how terrible Trump was. "ORANGE MAN BAD," they said in unison. I gave them a hug and told them it would be okay lol jk none of this happened you idiots
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) January 16, 2019
just overheard some furloughed TSA workers parked at the pump next to me at the gas station talking to each other about the prayer rugs found at the border
— Kilgore Trout (@KT_So_It_Goes) January 16, 2019
If someone has an exchange with a TSA person whose viewpoint reinforces their own and yet does not tweet about it, did the exchange happen?
— Mark Leibovich (@MarkLeibovich) January 16, 2019
Katrina Pierson just went through the security line in front of the TSA hipster coffee shop https://t.co/7CH2stSXw1
— Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) January 16, 2019
That is such a coincidence because I walked through airport security today and I heard a TSA worker going, "That Rashida Tlaib just doesn't stop making things up. Next thing you know, she'll be making up stories about one of us."
— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) January 15, 2019
I was at the airport this morning and a TSA agent stopped me and said "Don't listen to the trolls on Twitter…keep those hot food takes coming…you're always right!" I broke down and she hugged me…then we had a burger with no tomato followed by some milk chocolate.
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) January 16, 2019
It’s funny, I went through security at an airport last week and the TSA agent, after he was done groping me, leaned in and whispered “SUCKER PUNCH is the greatest film of my generation.” I met his eyes and nodded. He was right. When will someone listen to him? https://t.co/e8wDznb0S1
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) January 16, 2019
The most political conversation I ever had with a TSA agent was why I had a Trumpy Bear shoved in my backpack and why there was a mini liquor bottle hidden in his flag pocket
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) January 16, 2019
At the airport, the TSA agent looked me in the eye and said "keep fighting. Under DBCFT the dollar would've appreciated." I said "Yes! No way nominal exchange rates hold in equilibrium!" The agent replied "dollar appreciation holds real rates constant!"
Everyone in line clapped.
— Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) January 16, 2019
a TSA agent just stopped me and said “I want to say: your fun facts about Gore Vidal are interesting and you should keep sharing them with whoever will listen” and then she clasped my hand and wept but we weren’t even near an airport I’m honestly not even sure she was a tsa agent
— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) January 16, 2019
