Obama: Some government workers ‘are slugs, not trying to do their job’

Obama: Some government workers ‘are slugs, not trying to do their job’
April 15th, 2011

President Obama was caught on an open mic during a closed-door fundraiser last night, sharing his thoughts about the federal workforce.

According to CBS reporter Mark Knoller, who heard Obama’s private comments and posted them on his Twitter feed, Obama said that in general, “I would put federal workers against any worker in the private sector.” Obama reportedly said it was “striking … how generally smart and dedicated people are” in the federal workforce.

But he also said that some government workers “are slugs and not trying to do their job,” Knoller reported. “But that’s true of any large institution.”

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It also somewhat contradicts the letter Obama sent federal employees Monday after the shutdown was averted, in which he said their patience and professionalism affirmed his confidence in “everyone who works in our government.”

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