House Republicans are pressing the White House for answers after discovering discrepancies in the official transcript of President Joe Biden’s recent remarks where he called Trump supporters “garbage.” GOP leaders argue that altering Biden’s words could be a violation of federal law, fueling an investigation into the White House’s transparency.
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) addressed their concerns in a formal letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel. They claim that instead of issuing a clarification or apology, the White House released a “false transcript” to dilute Biden’s inflammatory language and shield him from public backlash.
“No one is above the law, not even the President of the United States” – Kamala
The White House just broke the law by altering the transcript of Biden’s garbage comment.
.@KamalaHarris I assume you will call for an investigation and prosecute those responsible, right? pic.twitter.com/evg0no2TaB
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 1, 2024
Video footage from Biden’s speech shows him saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” However, the official White House transcript altered the wording to read, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos.” Republicans contend that this edit served a political agenda rather than providing transparency.
Stefanik and Comer’s letter asserts that “White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States” to fit a political message. They demanded that the White House preserve all records related to the incident and release a corrected transcript with Biden’s original remarks.
Journalist Michael Shellenberger also criticized the White House’s actions, suggesting that the alterations could breach the Presidential Records Act. Shellenberger pointed out that such modifications raise questions about transparency within the administration.
This probe reflects ongoing Republican efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable for what they view as missteps and a lack of transparency. With Election Day approaching, Republicans are intent on scrutinizing any perceived attempts to shield controversial statements from public scrutiny.
