Valerie Jarrett Says ‘House of Cards’ Gets One Thing Right

President Obama holds an umbrella for Valerie Jarrett and Anita Decker Breckenridge (The White House)

Valerie Jarrett was talking about the hit TV show (and binge-watch fave) House of Cards on Quora when she described a real-life Congress that may seem like fiction to everyday Americans. Jarrett, who serves President Obama as a Senior Advisor, has a bird’s eye view of how real politics works. So she was asked how accurate the House of Cards version of Washington, DC really is. (She’s a fan of the show, known for what Jarrett calls a high level of “cunning cynicism” and for portraying the utter ruthlessness of those in pursuit of power.)

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Jarrett says the only thing House of Cards gets right about the real DC is the “shape of the President’s office.” Jarrett has been highly successful at every level, but her future as a TV critic may be in jeopardy. The reason she thinks House of Cards is wrong is because she sees the real DC like this: “from the White House to, yes, Congress, the government is filled with hard-working, idealistic public servants working incredibly hard on tough issues, trying to make people’s lives better.”