George H. W. Bush Jokes with Former Adviser Turned Inspiration for 'Scandal's' Olivia Pope

Judy Smith, co-executive producer of “Scandal” and a former deputy press secretary to President George H. W. Bush, recalled a conversation she had with 41 before the show’s premiere at last week’s Nantucket Project when she called to give him a heads up on the storyline. The character of Olivia Pope, inspired by Smith, engages in an affair with the show’s president, a made-for-TV and fictional twist from the real life relationship between Bush and Smith.