• ‘So nice to put faces to the metadata’ he tells journalists • Politicians poke fun at themselves at annual event with press

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Politicians poked fun at adversaries and themselves on Saturday night in Washington, at the annual Gridiron dinner, a gathering of journalists and public figures.



The final speaker of the night was the secretary of state, John Kerry, whose efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Crimea during the day had included telling his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that any steps to annex the Crimea region would “close any available space for diplomacy”.

Kerry, a former senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, joked in his speech about revelations of government spying on people including journalists, saying it was “so nice to put faces to the metadata”.

He also said President Barack Obama asked him to tell the audience: “If you like your rented tuxedo you can keep it.”

Every president since Grover Cleveland has attended the Gridiron dinner, which was first held in 1885. Obama attended in 2011 and 2013.

Among other speeches, the Texas senator Ted Cruz joked about his clashes with the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell. Cruz, not known to closely follow party leaders’ instructions, told the crowd that McConnell had asked him to represent the Republicans “and when Leader McConnell wants something, who am I to say no?”

Cruz also mentioned his September filibuster opposing Obama’s healthcare law. The marathon speech, in which Cruz famously read from Dr Seuss, featured 21 hours of “nothing but my favourite sound”, Cruz said.

Charlie Crist, who was Florida governor as a Republican and is now seeking to regain the job as a Democrat, spoke for his new party. He said he checked his big ego by reminding himself that John McCain found Sarah Palin a worthier presidential running mate in 2008.



Meanwhile, a top White House official who has been with President Barack Obama since he first became a senator nine years ago is resigning.



Alyssa Mastromonaco is Obama’s deputy chief of staff for operations and often described as the most influential person inside the White House who is not well known outside of it. She is responsible for planning presidential events, hiring staff and overseeing the White House complex.



A White House official said Mastromonaco is leaving in May to look for a job in the private sector. Mastromonaco joined Obama’s Senate office in February 2005 as scheduling director, and oversaw scheduling and advance for his 2008 presidential campaign and during Obama’s first term at the White House. She was promoted to deputy chief of staff in 2011.

