McMahon’s greatest regret: Never having been a staffer

Rep. Mike McMahon’s (D-N.Y.) biggest regret in life is that he never worked as a Capitol Hill staffer, he said at the Quinn Gillespie holiday party on Tuesday night.

Standing with his legislative assistant, Kathryn DiBitetto, McMahon observed, “I look at people like Kathryn, and I wonder, ‘Why wasn’t I smart enough to take a few years in my 20s and come down to Washington and work on the Hill?’ ”

McMahon is a relative newcomer to Capitol Hill; he arrived in January of 2009 after spending six years on the New York City Council.

“People ask me all the time what I find most surprising about being a congressman, and I’ll tell you, it’s how incredibly hard everyone works, especially the staff. I mean, I’m here at a party, and I know that my staff is still at the office at 9 p.m., preparing my briefings for tomorrow.”

McMahon’s staffers aren’t the only ones busting their tails in his office. The lawmaker said he’s never worked harder in his life than he does now.

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