In late November, Karoline Leavitt strode into the briefing room, holding her young son in her arms. A few steps behind Leavitt was “Waddle” the turkey, who was set to receive the traditional presidential pardon, but first made a stop in the briefing room. “We have Waddle,” Leavitt exclaimed to the room full of reporters. “Come on in, Waddle!”
The turkey obliged, taking its spot next to the lectern in the White House briefing room as the tone in the usually serious room took on a playful tone. Reporters jokingly asked the turkey a series of questions. “Waddle, why are you getting a pardon? What did you do wrong?” one journalist asked.
Amid the fun, photographers snapped dozens of images of the scene. Among those many pictures of the Thanksgiving spectacle was one in particular that incensed the White House—setting off a remarkable chain of events, with the image ultimately being pulled from the AFP and Getty Images wire photo libraries, Status has learned.
The photo, snapped by AFP photographer Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, captured Leavitt…
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