Owen Ellickson, a writer and producer whose credits include The Office, Superstore, and Other Space, spent much of the presidential campaign tweeting revealingly false missives from inside Trumpland. Now, he has acquired a trove of leaked documents from inside the Trump White House, which Daily Intelligencer will publish over time as a series. We caution you that these documents are, as yet, unverified.
5/2/17, 12:24PM Eastern
* reincepreebz has logged onto AOL Instant Messenger
reincepreebz: paul?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Yes. Hello, Reince.
reincepreebz: hi
reincepreebz: verified where?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Excuse me?
reincepreebz: you just tweeted “VERIFIED: MacArthur Amendment strengthens AHCA, protects people with pre-existing conditions.”
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: That’s right.
reincepreebz: so who verified it?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: I’m afraid I don’t understand …
reincepreebz: you’re saying that was verified — who verified? heritage? aei?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: I did.
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: When I wrote “VERIFIED.”
reincepreebz: …
reincepreebz: b/c the amendment doesn’t protect ppl w/ preexisting
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Yes, it does. I verified that it does.
reincepreebz: via what means?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Via typing. Via typing the letters.
reincepreebz: “verification” usually involves some sort of … y’know, process
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: There WAS a process. I flipped open my phone, logged onto Twitter—
reincepreebz: AHCA would force insurers to offer coverage, but no price caps, right? so they could charge someone w/ cancer $10 million/yr for insurance?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Sure. Yes.
reincepreebz: well so then a person w/ preexisting isn’t protected
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: You’re assuming they don’t have ten million dollars.
reincepreebz:
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: I know lots of people with ten million dollars. Don’t you?
reincepreebz: … yes
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: To assume a given person *doesn’t* have that much money is pretty rude, Reince.
reincepreebz: i mean statistically most Americans can’t afford—
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: What if they don’t WANT to be able to afford it? Maybe some Americans don’t want the government to barge in and FORCE them to be able to afford insurance? Did you ever think about that, Reince?
reincepreebz: no paul i truly didn’t
reincepreebz: i just think it might be good to delete the tweet
reincepreebz: since its not true
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Not true?! May I direct you to the Tweet’s first word?
reincepreebz: verified
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: In all caps! Doesn’t get more official than that.
reincepreebz: cbo will score this and project that tens of millions will lose coverage
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: I don’t believe that it will.
reincepreebz: why?
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Because I don’t want to.
reincepreebz: i just think your credibility–
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Ever heard of freedom, Reince?
reincepreebz: yes paul i have
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Do you think freedom is credible?
reincepreebz: i—
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN:
reincepreebz: i mean, yes
RYANRHYMESWITHAYN: Boom. You just got verified, Reince.
reincepreebz: paul that doesnt make any sense–
*RYANRHYMESWITHAYN has logged off of AOL Instant Messenger
