Rep. Tim Johnson: unbuckled

Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-Ill.) has always been something of a rumpled, ruffled lawmaker whose reddish locks can often be seen whipped up into a bed-head.

But last week he went to a whole new level of, ahem, Bohemian chic. Perhaps he’s been taking fashion advice from Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen?

Johnson was spotted outside Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) office with his belt undone. No word on whether the fly was also unzipped, but the buckle was most definitely unbuckled.

Phil Bloomer, Johnson’s spokesman, remarked, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re talking about Rep. Tim Johnson? It could have been that he came from the restroom or the gym and forgot to buckle his belt.”

Does Bloomer find this odd?

“Well, yeah. If anyone forgot to buckle their belt, that’s odd,” Bloomer said, adding that he once had a girlfriend who had toilet paper coming out of the top of her pants. “… it’s something odd that happens,” he said. 

Another Bloomer hypothesis: Johnson ate too much. But this isn’t likely considering how svelte Johnson is.

Female pols may get W.C. sooner than they think

Bureaucracy can be so maddeningly slow. But when it comes to building a women’s bathroom closer to the House floor for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), it seems the woman with the most power on Capitol Hill may soon get a women’s bathroom closer to the House floor.

Last week, at the request of Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), four serious-looking men from the Architect of the Capitol’s office came around the ornate Speaker’s Lobby with blueprints. They spent a long time in the lobby, plotting out different possible areas for a new potty — one of which was squarely where House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) used to hang out with his smoking posse of male GOP lawmakers.

Architect of the Capitol employees were concerned about the floor tiles, but then spent quite a bit of time in the lobby moving from one locale to the next.

“They should leave stuff as it is,” remarked one Capitol employee, apparently not pleased about the prospect of the Speaker’s Lobby being torn up for the sake of a women’s restroom. “I’m pissed. Leave the Speaker’s Lobby alone. It’s beautiful.”

Plans for a bathroom are very much in the early stage.

“We’re investigating the feasibility of a women’s bathroom closer to the floor than the existing one,” said Jonathan Beeton, spokesman for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) who chairs the Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch, which has financial jurisdiction over a new women’s bathroom.  “That’s where we’re at right now.”

As it stands, female lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — travel through Boehner’s office to get to the Lindy Boggs room, another name for the women’s lounge off Statuary Hall.

Pelosi’s office had no comment on a potential women’s bathroom in the Speaker’s Lobby. Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol, did not return calls by press time.

Rep. Gutierrez in hand splint after golf game with juan ‘Chi-Chi’ Rodriguez

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) had his right hand in a splint last week, but no, he didn’t get into a fight.

Gutierrez explained that in December he was taking a Christmastime golf lesson in Puerto Rico with none other than pro golfer Juan “Chi-Chi” Rodriguez.

In the course of the lesson, he said, Rodriguez taught him something new. “I guess I’m not doing it well,” he said, glancing at the splint.

But no regrets. “I learned a lot, it was fun,” Gutierrez said. “I’m calling him up and asking him to play again.”

Omarosa to star in ‘The Vagina Monologues’

Apologies up front for the ongoing near-obsession with Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth over the course of ITK’s existence. A number of readers have told us they are sick of reading about her. But this is a goody.

The one-time “Apprentice” star has made it into Eve Ensler’s Obie Award-winning Broadway play, “The Vagina Monologues,” and will perform at the Lincoln Theater on Feb. 24.

“I have butterflies cause I am sooo excited about performing in D.C. and at the historic Lincoln Theater,” gushed Omarosa in a recent e-mail.

A release about Manigault-Stallworth states that she began her acting career at age 15 in Ohio at the Youngstown Playhouse. “I chose this production for my return to the stage because it is entertaining and empowering,” she said.

Asked if she has to perform in the nude, Omarosa replied over e-mail, “LOL — My monologue requires a wicked short skirt. This will be a big change from the St. John’s suits that I used to wear when I worked on the Hill and at the White House.”

For tickets, visit www.vdayladc.com.

Pick your favorite love song on NPR 

For Valentine’s Day today, National Public Radio is asking listeners to choose their favorite love songs on the online program and podcast, “All Songs Considered.” Filmmaker John Waters will serve as guest DJ for the event.

On the show, Waters will mix his favorite love songs. He joins an assortment of host DJs that have included musical satirist Weird Al Yankovic and folk singer M. Ward.

NPR lets everyone be a romantic by “sharing the songs that make their hearts melt,” said a station release. Last year, people named Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and Etta James’s “At Last” as their favorites. All will be posted at www.NPR.org.

Federal government  closes 22 minutes late

Leave it to the federal government to declare itself closed after it is closed. Yesterday afternoon the Office of Personnel Management shot out an e-mail to Hill staffers announcing it was closing due to pending inclement weather.

The e-mail, sent at 2:22 p.m. announced that the government would shut down at 2 p.m. to get federal workers home before dark: “We will continue to monitor weather conditions and announce the status of government for [today] as soon as possible.”

Hopefully we won’t have to wait until Sunday for that update.