Valerie Jarrett was a senior advisor to President Garrett Walker (and possibly the 44th President previously). In 2013, Congressman Frank Underwood hoarded tickets to the White House Correspondents Dinner, giving him control over seating arrangements, a power he used to leverage other members of the Legislative branch as well as the media. Jarrett was originally supposed to sit next to Conan O'Brien, but Underwood switched her out with Senator John McCain. Upset, she called Frank demanding to know if the move was related to hot-button issues the White House was dealing with. Underwood simply informed her it was for the greater good. This put her on the war path with Underwood, who suspected her of bad mouthing him to the President.
Trivia
- The information in this article is from a spoof made for the real White House Correspondents Dinner based on House of Cards in 2013 in which Valerie Jarrett appeared. It is unknown if this implies that she exists within the series and is still an advisor to the President.
- In reality, Jarrett was an advisor to Barack Obama throughout his Presidency. In House of Cards, it is unknown if the 44th President was a Republican or a Democrat, so it remains unknown if Valerie Jarrett was involved with the White House prior to Walker's administration.