White House Reporters Have Launched 'Formal Objection' About Biden Refusing To Answer Questions
(Steve Watson) CBS News reported Tuesday that the press pool of White House reporters have launched a formal objection over the fact that Joe Biden refuses to answer any questions, with reporters routinely being yelled down and physically pushed away by Biden’s handlers.
The revelation came after an embarrassing scene in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson answering questions, but Biden not being allowed to by aides.
Watch:
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes questions from British media and is interrupted by White House aides trying to prevent U.S. reporters from asking questions:
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) September 21, 2021
pic.twitter.com/BMAmf61pim
CBS News' @EdOkeefe reports that during Pres. Biden's bilateral meeting with British PM Boris Johnson, U.S. press questions about the southern border were shouted down by White House aides. The president's answer was undecipherable. pic.twitter.com/MeXVTcFEBX
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 21, 2021
Johnson took the three questions from British reporters
CBS reporter Ed O’Keefe said that “Johnson took 3 questions. White House aides shouted down U.S. attempts to ask questions. I asked Biden about southern border and we couldn’t decipher what he said.”
IN THE OVAL OFFICE… @POTUS Biden and British PM @BorisJohnson meet to discuss pandemic, trade and other issues. Johnson took 3 questions. White House aides shouted down U.S. attempts to ask questions. I asked Biden about southern border and we couldn’t decipher what he said. pic.twitter.com/A86kgdfsuc
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) September 21, 2021
CBS radio correspondent Steve Portnoy later reported that “The entire editorial component of the US pool went immediately into Jen Psaki’s office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the president’s Oval Office.”
Portnoy, also president of the White House Correspondents Association, added that the complaint also extended to the fact “that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed O’Keefe’s question about the situation at the Southern Border. Biden’s answer could not be heard over the shouting.”
“Psaki was unaware that the incident has occurred and suggested that she was not in a position to offer an immediate solution,” Portnoy continued, adding “Your pooler requested a press conference. Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week.”
Apparently only British reporters were recognized for questions in the Biden-Johnson Oval office spray and now the US press pool are up in arms.
— Patsy Widakuswara (@pwidakuswara) September 21, 2021
From pooler @stevenportnoy pic.twitter.com/dOZgRfQhlp
n addition, National Review notes that after Biden’s UN speech yesterday, French reporter Kethevane Gorjestani “was asked by a very startled Australian reporter whether WH wranglers were always so strict about ushering the pool out without questions.”
The pathetic display is a continuation of the way Biden’s handlers have been acting since even before he took office, shooing away reporters, giving Biden strict instructions on who he can take questions from, and even muting his mic when he goes off script.
Joe Biden says that he "was instructed to call on" specific reporters for questions.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 26, 2021
Who is calling the shots here? pic.twitter.com/K24AH81g1L
BIDEN: "I'll take your questions and as usual, folks, they gave me a list of the people I'm going to call on" pic.twitter.com/RdAks1RIdp
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 16, 2021
BIDEN: “Can I ask you a question?”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 13, 2021
*White House feed cuts out” pic.twitter.com/YQ9I9u3r98
REPORTER: “If Americans are still in Afghanistan after the deadline what will you do?”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 25, 2021
BIDEN: *smirks*
*White House cuts audio feed* pic.twitter.com/k0SGWhpXm6
A week ago, Republican Senator James Risch demanded to know who is in charge of controlling when the President is allowed to be heard, noting during a Senate hearing that “This is a puppeteer act, if you would, and we need to know who’s in charge and who is making the decisions.”
“Somebody in the White House has authority to press the button and stop the president, cut off the president’s speaking ability and sound. Who is that person?” Risch asked.
Tweeting out the video, leftists insisted the claims were ‘bizarre,’ ‘ridiculous’ and ‘absurd’:
When you are living in the Murdock news bubble....a NY Post story prompted by a RNC tweet and then echoed across the right-wing tv & twitterverse. https://t.co/eDT4t5joKr https://t.co/kOgUzoPfMe
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) September 14, 2021
A button to control his audio? Absurd to suggest the people who give him the list of reporters he’s allowed to answer, with the instructions for what he’s supposed to do next, which he inevitably reads out loud, would have or need such a thing. https://t.co/gWSkAuYpeD
— Jack (@MrBeagleman) September 14, 2021