America’s military heroes have shown us the true meaning of sacrifice. To honor active duty and retired military members and their families, the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch presented awards to deserving recipients who have demonstrated exemplary service to our country. The event also put a spotlight on organizations that support military service members, veterans and their families, in addition to celebrating journalism and our First Amendment rights during the afternoon prior to the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner.
Held at Katharine Graham’s Beall-Washington House, which is owned by brunch co-hosts Mark and Sally Ein, guests of the 26th edition of this White House Correspondents’ Weekend tradition included journalists, elected officials, celebrities, and other notable individuals.
This year’s Garden Brunch was hosted by Tammy Haddad, Hilary Rosen, Jean and Steve Case, Mark and Sally Ein, Jennifer Dunn, Zac Moffatt, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Fritz Brogan, and Franco Nuschese.
CNN’s Don Lemon and Jake Tapper emceed the program which also featured comments from brunch co-hosts Rosen, Ein and Haddad.
Co-host Jean Case presented the WHC Garden Brunch Be Fearless Award in recognition of a veteran’s fearless leadership. She honored Lt. General Gwendolyn Bingham who has broken barriers and served the country with distinction throughout her more than 30 years in the U.S. Army. Bingham is one of the few 3-star female general offices in Army history, and she is the recipient of numerous campaign and service medals.
Special guest Jay Leno also took the stage to present a Purple Heart recipient, U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Angela Morales-Biggs of Manassas, Virginia, with the WHC Garden Brunch “Champions of Freedom” Award and the keys to a brand new, payment-free Nissan Pathfinder in a presentation sponsored by Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation. The automobile was provided by Jones Junction Auto Group.
As part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to helping veterans, they have partnered with the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Transportation4Heroes program to provide support to combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star Families as they transition out of the military and into civilian life.
Leno, who has hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner more times than anyone else in the event’s history, was also presented with a cake and the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his 69th birthday on Sunday, April 28.
Blue Star Families, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, also brought several military members and their spouses as guests to the Garden Brunch.
Salesforce was also a sponsor of this year’s brunch. Additional support and food for the event was provided by Georgetown Cupcakes, Dog Tag Bakery and Compass Coffee.
The bipartisan crowd of brunch guests included Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Donald Trump; Valerie and Laura Jarrett, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama; Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Don & Megan Beyer, Rep. David Cicilline and Rep. Lauren Underwood; John Delaney, former Congressman and presidential hopeful; Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Mulhall; the President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani; actor Michael Kelly from Amazon’s “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”; former U.S. Solicitor General, Ted Olson; Amb. Lloyd and Ann Hand; MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi; CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, Kate Bolduan, Alisyn Camerota and Pamela Brown; NBC’s Kasie Hunt; Bob Costa, David Rubenstein, Ben Ginsberg, Niki Christoff, Teresa Carlson, Lt. Gen. Gwendolyn Bingham (Assistant Chief of Staff, U.S. Army), Purple Heart recipient MSgt. Angela Morales-Biggs (U.S. Air Force), David Rubenstein, Stephanie Schriock, Gary Knell, Fred Ryan, David Adler, Jennifer Dunn, Kris Coratti, Susan Hendrick, Tom and Corrine Hoare, Jay Fielden, Craig Gordon, Leana Wen and Betsy Fischer Martin.
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