As a show about people at the highest echelons of government power who are funny, principled, and actually good at their jobs, The West Wing is aspirational porn for people who have already achieved most of their higher aspirations. So we get why White House press secretary Sarah Sanders—whose reputation is such that she spent the Thanksgiving holiday getting yelled at because people thought she was lying about the simple, wholesome act of baking a pie—would want to draw some parallels between herself and beloved Bartlet administration press sec C.J. Cregg.
No dice, though; just a few hours after Sanders tweeted earlier this week, comparing her work-life to the episode of the Aaron Sorkin show in which Allison Janney’s C.J. is forced to contend with a pair of turkeys being dropped off in her office, Janney’s old co-star Bradley Whitford fired back with what has to be a pretty depressing slam for any White House press secretary who happens to be a fan of the show:
At least Janney appreciated it: