White House staffers played ‘icing’ drinking game in government office: report

Staffers in the White House office responsible for recruiting political appointees played a drinking game in a government office building near the White House in January, according to a Washington Post report.
The Post reported that the staffers played the drinking game, called “icing,” to celebrate the 30th birthday of the office’s deputy director.
The game involves hiding a bottle of Smirnoff Ice. The rules then require whoever finds the beverage to chug it.
{mosads}
The White House confirmed to the Post that the staffers played the drinking game at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, but insisted that it and other social events, like happy hours, held at the office were not unusual and allowed personnel to network and socialize.
The Post report published Friday cast the PPO offices on the first floor of the Eisenhower Building as a place young administration staffers go to socialize. Current and former White House officials told the newspaper that staffers would stop by the office to lounge on couches and smoke electronic cigarettes.
Since President Trump took office, the PPO has had only a fraction of the staffers that previous administration’s did. Most are in their 20s and have little professional experience, according to the Post.
It’s not the first time reports of White House personnel playing drinking games have surfaced. In 2010, Tommy Vietor, then a spokesman for the National Security Council, and Jon Favreau, a speechwriter for then-President Obama, were captured in a photo playing beer pong shirtless at a Georgetown bar.
Unlike the account detailed in the Post’s story, however, that game took place outside the workplace.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.