Richard Jeffries
Guest Reporter
White House press officials have sparked controversy after altering the official transcript of President Joe Biden's recent remarks about Donald Trump supporters.
The incident, which occurred during a call with Latino activists, has drawn objections from federal workers responsible for documenting presidential statements.
The press office altered an apostrophe to change Biden's comment from "supporters" to "supporter's" in an apparent attempt to soften the president's criticism.
The alteration breached protocol and has raised concerns about transcript integrity. The controversy has led to accusations of potential violations of the Presidential Records Act and calls for investigation from Republican lawmakers.
The incident occurred during a call with Latino activists on Tuesday evening. Biden was responding to racist comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally, where Puerto Rico was referred to as a "floating island of garbage".
According to the original transcript, Biden said: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American."
However, the White House press office altered the transcript to read "supporter's" instead of "supporters".
This change was made after the press office "conferred with the president", as stated in an internal email.
The head of the stenographers' office has called the edit "a breach of protocol and spoliation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices".
In an internal email, the supervisor emphasised: "If there is a difference in interpretation, the Press Office may choose to withhold the transcript but cannot edit it independently."
The incident has potentially violated the Presidential Records Act of 1978, according to Republican lawmakers Elise Stefanik and James Comer.
They accused White House staff of "releasing a false transcript" and stated: "White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message."
The lawmakers have called on the administration to retain all related documents and communications.
The White House has scrambled to respond to the controversy. Biden took to social media to clarify that he was referring specifically to "hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally".
White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted the edited version of the quote on social media, stating Biden was referring "to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as 'garbage'".
Vice President Kamala Harris distanced herself from Biden's comments, making a clear break from the president. She told reporters: "Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for."
Find Out More...
The incident, which occurred during a call with Latino activists, has drawn objections from federal workers responsible for documenting presidential statements.
The press office altered an apostrophe to change Biden's comment from "supporters" to "supporter's" in an apparent attempt to soften the president's criticism.
The alteration breached protocol and has raised concerns about transcript integrity. The controversy has led to accusations of potential violations of the Presidential Records Act and calls for investigation from Republican lawmakers.
The incident occurred during a call with Latino activists on Tuesday evening. Biden was responding to racist comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally, where Puerto Rico was referred to as a "floating island of garbage".
According to the original transcript, Biden said: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American."
However, the White House press office altered the transcript to read "supporter's" instead of "supporters".
This change was made after the press office "conferred with the president", as stated in an internal email.
The head of the stenographers' office has called the edit "a breach of protocol and spoliation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices".
In an internal email, the supervisor emphasised: "If there is a difference in interpretation, the Press Office may choose to withhold the transcript but cannot edit it independently."
The incident has potentially violated the Presidential Records Act of 1978, according to Republican lawmakers Elise Stefanik and James Comer.
They accused White House staff of "releasing a false transcript" and stated: "White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message."
The lawmakers have called on the administration to retain all related documents and communications.
The White House has scrambled to respond to the controversy. Biden took to social media to clarify that he was referring specifically to "hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally".
White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted the edited version of the quote on social media, stating Biden was referring "to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as 'garbage'".
Vice President Kamala Harris distanced herself from Biden's comments, making a clear break from the president. She told reporters: "Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for."
Find Out More...