diff --git a/git_cl.py b/git_cl.py
index 961a4abb1..ce7c6df12 100755
--- a/git_cl.py
+++ b/git_cl.py
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@ def GetCodereviewSettingsInteractively():
 
 class ChangeDescription(object):
   """Contains a parsed form of the change description."""
-  R_LINE = r'^\s*(TBR|R)\s*=\s*(.+)\s*$'
+  R_LINE = r'^[ \t]*(TBR|R)[ \t]*=[ \t]*(.*?)[ \t]*$'
 
   def __init__(self, description):
     self._description = (description or '').strip()
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ class ChangeDescription(object):
       for i in xrange(len(matches) - 1, 0, -1):
         self._description = (
             self._description[:matches[i].start()] +
-            self._description[matches[i].end()+1:])
+            self._description[matches[i].end():])
 
     if is_tbr:
       new_r_line = 'TBR=' + ', '.join(reviewers)
@@ -830,7 +830,7 @@ class ChangeDescription(object):
     if matches:
       self._description = (
         self._description[:matches[0].start()] + new_r_line +
-        self._description[matches[0].end()+1:])
+        self._description[matches[0].end():]).strip()
     else:
       self.append_footer(new_r_line)
 
@@ -869,7 +869,7 @@ class ChangeDescription(object):
   def get_reviewers(self):
     """Retrieves the list of reviewers."""
     regexp = re.compile(self.R_LINE, re.MULTILINE)
-    reviewers = [i.group(2) for i in regexp.finditer(self._description)]
+    reviewers = [i.group(2).strip() for i in regexp.finditer(self._description)]
     return cleanup_list(reviewers)
 
 
diff --git a/presubmit_support.py b/presubmit_support.py
index fe1c2878c..5c3accbc5 100755
--- a/presubmit_support.py
+++ b/presubmit_support.py
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ class Change(object):
 
   # Matches key/value (or "tag") lines in changelist descriptions.
   TAG_LINE_RE = re.compile(
-      '^\s*(?P<key>[A-Z][A-Z_0-9]*)\s*=\s*(?P<value>.*?)\s*$')
+      '^[ \t]*(?P<key>[A-Z][A-Z_0-9]*)[ \t]*=[ \t]*(?P<value>.*?)[ \t]*$')
   scm = ''
 
   def __init__(
diff --git a/tests/git_cl_test.py b/tests/git_cl_test.py
index ae71c1cd7..797c4ccae 100755
--- a/tests/git_cl_test.py
+++ b/tests/git_cl_test.py
@@ -612,11 +612,23 @@ class TestGitCl(TestCase):
       ('foo\nBUG=', ['a@c'], 'foo\nBUG=\nR=a@c'),
       ('foo\nR=xx\nTBR=yy\nR=bar', ['a@c'], 'foo\nTBR=a@c'),
       ('foo', ['a@c', 'b@c'], 'foo\n\nR=a@c, b@c'),
+      ('foo\nBar\n\nR=\nBUG=', ['c@c'], 'foo\nBar\n\nR=c@c\nBUG='),
+      ('foo\nBar\n\nR=\nBUG=\nR=', ['c@c'], 'foo\nBar\n\nR=c@c\nBUG='),
+      # Same as the line before, but full of whitespaces.
+      (
+        'foo\nBar\n\n R = \n BUG = \n R = ', ['c@c'],
+        'foo\nBar\n\nR=c@c\n BUG =',
+      ),
+      # Whitespaces aren't interpreted as new lines.
+      ('foo BUG=allo R=joe ', ['c@c'], 'foo BUG=allo R=joe\n\nR=c@c'),
     ]
-    for orig, reviewers, expected in data:
+    expected = [i[2] for i in data]
+    actual = []
+    for orig, reviewers, _expected in data:
       obj = git_cl.ChangeDescription(orig)
       obj.update_reviewers(reviewers)
-      self.assertEqual(expected, obj.description)
+      actual.append(obj.description)
+    self.assertEqual(expected, actual)
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':