White House silent on whether transcript of Biden’s ‘garbage’ comments was approved by stenographers

The White House remained silent Thursday when asked to confirm whether its stenographers had approved the transcript it posted of President Biden’s remarks calling Trump supporters ‘garbage,’ amid allegations from Republicans that the written version of his remarks posted to the White House’s website was deceptively edited.

Republicans from the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to White House attorney Edward Siskel on Wednesday, alleging ‘a false transcript’ of Biden’s remarks had been released by the White House and demanded that it ‘retain and preserve all documents and internal communications’ regarding the president’s remarks and the release of the subsequent transcript. The committee also requested that an updated transcript with the correct wording be provided. 

Following Biden’s Tuesday remarks, which came during a virtual Zoom call with a Hispanic get-out-the-vote group known as Voto Latino, the White House posted a transcript of the president’s remarks. Transcripts are regularly posted every time the president speaks, and it is typical protocol to get those transcripts approved by the White House’s apolitical group of professional stenographers. However, the White House has not responded to repeated requests from Fox News questioning whether the final transcript of Biden’s remarks with Voto Latino had been approved by the stenographers.

Sources at the Oversight Committee told Fox News that while Biden was clearly calling Trump supporters ‘garbage,’ the transcript includes incorrect syntax that made the president’s words appear as if he was not directly speaking about Trump supporters – an argument echoed by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 

‘President Biden’s vindictive words were unsurprising, given his previous statements regarding people who choose not to vote for his preferred candidate. Unsurprising, too, were the White House’s actions after he said them,’ read the letter, signed by Reps. Elise Stefanik, R–N.Y. and James Comer, R–Ky. 

‘The move is not only craven, but it also appears to be in violation of federal law, including the Presidential Records Act of 1978,’ the two GOP leaders continued in their letter. ‘White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message.’  

In an attempt to clarify Biden’s remarks amid backlash over the comments, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates insisted that: ‘The president referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’’ Biden himself also published a tweet following his controversial remarks echoing Bates’ argument. 

Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, sought to distance herself from the president’s comments less than a week before Election Day, but she simultaneously defended Biden by noting he ‘clarified his comments.’

‘I think that first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,’ Harris said from the campaign trail on Wednesday morning.