Someone Tell the Empress She’s Got No Clothes

For a few weeks now, I’ve been reaching out directly to the people in power, one by one, to ask where they stand on County Council President Kate Stewart’s decision to exclude The Montgonion from official press briefings.

I’ve spoken personally with nearly half the Council. I’ve messaged others. I’ve asked them face-to-face, on the phone, and in writing. And here’s what I’ve found: support for Stewart’s position simply does not exist.

At a Hillandale campaign barbeque on August 24, Will Jawando said he had seen the correspondence and urged me to work it out with Stewart. When asked if I could attend his press conferences if he gets elected County Executive, he said "Yes." Kristin Mink, at the same event, told me she was sympathetic but emphasized the president controls the matter. When I asked about her campaign briefings, she smiled and said, “you’re here, right?”

On August 26, I spoke by phone with Evan Glass, a former CNN reporter. He said no one is a bigger supporter of the First Amendment than him, and if he becomes County Executive, he “couldn’t imagine excluding anyone.” That same day, I sat down in Glenmont with Natali Fani-González, who has taken more Montgonion barbs than anyone. To her credit, she was gracious, empathetic, and candid: the longer this drags on, the worse it looks for the county.

On September 2, I posted a question on Andrew Friedson’s Facebook page about whether I’d be admitted to his press briefings if he were County Executive. His public response was one word: “Yes.”

And on September 3, Dawn Luedtke messaged me privately. As a lawyer, she declined to opine on what could become a legal matter, but she said something that cuts to the heart of the issue: she knows some of her colleagues have already spoken out. In her view, that’s problematic—not because they’re wrong, but because Stewart’s untenable position has put the Council in a rare and uncomfortable spot. By trying to enforce a flimsy exclusion, Stewart has unintentionally cracked the Council’s traditional facade of unity. That alone speaks volumes.

Outside the Council, Delegate Vaughn Stewart called the whole affair “absurd” in a message to me. Four 2026 Council candidates—Scott Goldberg, Sharif Hidayat, Steve Solomon, and Josie Caballero—have either voiced support or boosted my posts. About half of the sitting Rockville and Gaithersburg council members have done the same. The Montgomery County Republican Party and its chair Sully Sullivan have publicly supported me. And even Robin Ficker—a man I’ve satirized harder than anyone alive—has spoken out on principle in defense of press access.

Meanwhile, the Council President’s attorney slow-walks a response to my appeal, and the County Executive, Marc Elrich, hasn’t replied at all.

But here’s what’s even more striking: I’ve taken this fight to the public square. I’ve posted about it dozens of times across Reddit, BlueSky, X, Facebook, and Nextdoor. Tens of thousands of people have seen these posts. They’ve been reposted and shared again and again—sometimes by public officials themselves, sometimes by other media outlets. And yet, not once—not a single time—has anyone stepped forward to defend Stewart’s position.

I’ve even put up some outrageous parodies: riffs on Hustler ads, a send-up of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” cover. You’d think her staunchest supporters would at least recoil, if not leap to her defense. But what have we heard? Nothing. Silence. Absolute silence.

So let’s be clear: I’ve done the legwork. I’ve asked the officials. I’ve gone to the public. And outside of Stewart’s office, no one is standing up to defend this exclusion. Not one person.

In the old fable, the emperor strutted proudly in “magnificent” new clothes that weren’t there. Everyone could see the truth, but few dared to say it aloud. Montgomery County is living that story now. The public and even fellow officials are beginning to whisper. Some are saying it out loud. The reality is plain: Stewart’s authority is unraveling because her position is unconstitutional, and with every day her naked heel stands on the neck of the First Amendment, respect for her office erodes further.

Someone needs to tell the Empress what everyone else already knows: she’s got no clothes.