White House Deletes ‘Unpaid Bills’ Line from Obama Speech Transcript
Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Chicago on Monday, President Obama described how his old home in the city still has “junk” on his desk because he “left so quickly” for the White House. Included in that junk, he said, are “some unpaid bills.”
The White House, however, removed the “unpaid bills” part from the official transcript which was sent out after the event.
Associated Press reporter Josh Lederman noticed the change and alerted another reporter who was at the event. That reporter then sent out an email alerting her colleagues and everyone else who receives reports from the White House press corps.
“The White House’s transcript of tonight’s DNC fundraiser omits the president’s reference to unpaid bills being stacked up on his desk at home in Chicago,” read the alert from Politico’s Jennifer Epstein. “I included a partial quote in the pool report earlier, but in the interest of transparency, especially since this was a print pool only event, I’m sharing the full quote, as I transcribed and checked just now, and as it was in the transcript.”
The full quote from Obama: “One of the nice things about being home is actually that it’s a little bit like a time capsule. Because Michelle and I and the kids, we left so quickly that there’s still junk on my desk, including some unpaid bills (laughter) — I think eventually they got paid — but they’re sort of stacked up. And messages, newspapers and all kinds of stuff.”
How it appears in the official White House transcript: “When we think back to when I first took office, one of the nice things about being home is actually that it’s a little bit like a time capsule because Michelle and I and the kids, we left so quickly that there’s still junk on my desk, including some — newspapers and all kinds of stuff.”
This compulsive issue of transparency comes the same day Bloomberg Politics published an interview with a White House chef who wouldn’t answer the most innocuous questions, including whether he bakes or fries Obama’s chicken wings.
UPDATE — 11:05 p.m. ET: The White House on Tuesday morning released a “corrected” transcript of Obama’s remarks. The part about the “unpaid bills” was replaced with “*(inaudible).”
[Photo via screen grab]
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