Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Aboard Air Force One en route Andrews Air Force Base
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Andrews Air Force Base
January 12, 2011
11:44 P.M. EST
MR. GIBBS: So I just wanted to give you guys — Julie, you sent me an email about wanting to come back with a few more details, so let me give you a little bit of what I know.
The President first heard the story on the drive from University Medical Center over to the McKale Center from her husband. And what I understand happened — and I talked with Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Wasserman Schultz — Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz — who were in the room with Nancy Pelosi. And they — Senator Gillibrand had — was holding her hand, and these are all personal friends of hers. So they’re talking about these personal experiences that they’ve had together as friends and with family and things like that. And during this process she began to — she began to rub the hand of the senator.
And so it’s obvious she’s — it’s obvious that she’s hearing them. And at some point, she begins to try to open her eye. And this obviously hasn’t happened before, and as this is happening, many in the room are obviously getting quite excited. And she opens her eye, and she’s -
Q Eye singular or eyes plural?
MR. GIBBS: Eye, eye. I believe one eye is bandaged. And so she opens her eye and she’s trying to focus. And her husband says, if you can hear me, if you can — you know, if you can respond, give me a thumbs up. And that’s when she raised her whole arm.
So — and that’s a little bit of the back story on — and again, the President heard this on the ride over, and her husband was okay with him telling that to the crowd. I think that was a pretty powerful moment.
Q Who conveyed it to the President?
Q Who told him?
MR. GIBBS: Her husband.
Q Okay, so he called in the ride over.
MR. GIBBS: He was riding — excuse me, he was riding with the President in the limo, and with her mom over — with the First Lady — over to the memorial service
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