October 30th, 2024
By Jeremy Frankel
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said on Wednesday that the White House’s publishing of a “false transcript” of Joe Biden’s calling Trump supporters “garbage” could be in violation of federal law.
During a video call on Tuesday, Biden appeared to say that Trump supporters were “garbage,” but the White House transcript and its spokespeople have tried to say that the president was really referring to a comic who joked that Puerto Rico was “a floating island of garbage” at the Trump rally on Sunday.
Stefanik and Comer sent a letter to White House counsel Edward Siskel on Wednesday and demanded that the transcript, along with records and communications related to the comment, be preserved.
“In less than one week, the American people will determine the winner of the 2024 presidential election. They will choose between two candidates: President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. President Biden — marred by unpopular policies, scandal, and apparent cognitive deterioration — has chosen not to pursue a second term in office,” they wrote.
“Americans were rightfully insulted, then, when President Biden, seeking to boost Ms. Harris’ presidential campaign, referred to an enormous swath of the country as … ‘garbage.’ 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,” the letter continued, adding that editing and publishing a false transcript of the comments would violate the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
“White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message. Though President Biden’s relevance continues to diminish, his words continue to matter, even as they become increasingly divisive and erratic,” the letter added.
In addition to demanding that the records be preserved, Stefanik and Comer demanded that the White House release an accurate transcript.
