Does anyone want to hear a story from the 90’s about a Rolex, King Hussain of Jordan and Bill Clinton? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/fashion/mens-style/rolex-biden.html

Once. Many, many years ago I was a minor functionary in the Clinton WH. High in the rafters of the Old Executive Office Building was a small door with the name (at time) “Presidential Gift Unit”. In this small, innocuous office every gift to the President of the United States

is appraised, photographed cataloged and will eventually go to the National Archives. However (it’s complicated) rules allow the President to keep any particular gifts received. It was the week of the signing of the Oslo accords. The White House was going at full tilt.

We had Prime Minister Rabin, PLO Leader Arafat and King Hussain of Jordan among many other heads of states coming. It was amazing. I was 35 feet from Rabin when he spoke. Google it. You’ll cry. I know I did. Fast forward a couple days. My friend who even to this day shall remain

nameless who worked in the Presidential Gift Unit called and said “you gotta see this”. I went right up to 4th or 5th floor to take a look. What he had were all the gifts presented to Bill Clinton from all the VIPS who had just left town. Many elegant and tasteful. Then there

was the table top nativity scene constructed of mother of pearl presented by Arafat-but I digress. Of interest was the Rolex presented to Bill Clinton by King Hussain of Jordan. You see.... @BillClinton wanted that Rolex. And he was allowed legally to keep it. The Gift Unit just

had to have it appraised and cataloged and send it over to Nancy Hernrich (Oval Office Chief Gatekeeper) for the President. There was a problem. The Gift Unit had just gotten the appraisal back from the high end jewelry store right up Connecticut Ave. The appraisal came in at

$50. The Rolex was a counterfeit. It became a huge state secret. No one believed the King of Jordan intentionally gave POTUS a fake ROLEX but that’s exactly what happened. The whole thing had to be hushed up. And somewhere in some annex of the National Archives right next to a

table top mother of pearl nativity scene is a nice box with a nice note. And a fake Rolex. End.