Rep. Tim Burchett.Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, some of us have only a few minutes to spare for celebration. That seems to be the case for U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, who this week sent out an invitation for a Christmas party that will last just 15 minutes.
“@RepTimBurchett is throwing a 15 minute long holiday party (I’m gonna guess this is one of his jokes…),” Beavers wrote on Twitter, alongside a photo of the invitation, which includes a note saying refreshments “will possibly be provided.”
“No, it’s real,” Burchett responded on Twitter.
According to the invitation, there may be entertainment, too, courtesy of “Louie Gohmert & the Hal Rogers Singers,” though the document offers a caveat that the lawmakers are only “scheduled to attend.”
Burchett later joked that it’s in Gohmert’s — a fellow Republican representative — “contract” to speak for eight minutes, and sing for just seven.
As Burchett’s chief of staff told PEOPLE, “the Congressman’s very real quarter-hour Christmas party is a first-ever event , but may well become an annual tradition.”
“Rep. Louie Gohmert is scheduled to play his guitar,” they added. “The Hal Rogers singers are TBD because, well, Congressman Burchett may have made that group up. Congressman Burchett often says, “although I don’t take my self too seriously, I take the job very seriously.' "
In a statement to PEOPLE, Burchett himself elaborated on the party’s choice of entertainment.
““I was originally going to invite Kanye, but the morality clause in our entertainment contract makes that a no-go,” Burchett said in his statement. “Besides, I don’t associate with people who say nice things about Nazis. The dulcet tones of Louie Gohmert performing Christmas music is a much better option.”
His statement continued: “There’s no guarantee we’ll have refreshments, but if we do, they’ll be lackluster at best. It’s going to be the Christmas party of the year in DC.”
source: people.com
