Hail to the Almost Chief

THE PARTY Guests gathered at the United States Institute for Peace for the exclusive screening of HBO’s political satire that follows Vice President Selina Meyer as she tries to make her mark as second-in-command. The stars, including Washington natives Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep’s star) and Executive Producer Frank Rich, tossed bon mots about growing up in the District as they walked the rope line. It turns out Louis-Dreyfus misses Montgomery Donuts and Rich, the former New York Times theater critic, used to take tickets at the National Theatre. THE PEOPLE Veep creator Armando Iannucci was also on hand, along with cast members Reid Scott, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons and Sufe Bradshaw. Some of Washington’s biggest power players, including Chris Dodd, Wolf Blitzer, Dana Bash and Kathleen Sebelius, also came out to celebrate the DC-driven comedy. BEST IN SHOW Several members of the cast dished on how they prepped for their new political roles, including getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House and the Eisenhower Building, and even having a surprise run-in with first lady Michelle Obama. Photography by Tony Brown