‘I Looked Him Straight In The Eye!’ NBC’s Peter Alexander Caught On Hot Mic Complaining Biden Blew Off His Special Counsel Question
NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander can be heard on a hot mic complaining to a colleague that President Joe Biden looked right at him but ignored his question about the special counsel investigating Biden over classified documents.
President Biden welcomed Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands to the White House for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, where the press listened as the two leaders made remarks at a photo op ahead of the meeting.
Immediately following those remarks, reporters shouted questions in an indistinct cacophony as press aides tried to usher them out, but Alexander could be heard more clearly above the din repeatedly shouting “Will you commit to speak to the special counsel?”
As the noise died down and the reporters began to clear out, a hot mic caught an exchange between Alexander and another reporter in which Alexander said the president looked right back at him and ignored the question:
PETER ALEXANDER: I looked him straight in the eye and said it, he looked at me back and didn’t say a word! “Will you commit to speak to the special counsel?” He looked at me, didn’t say a word.
REPORTER: Why?
The conversation was inaudible on the NBC News live feed.
Similar scenes unfolded during White House events last week as the news about classified documents discovered by Biden aides in private storage spaces — including his Wilmington home — unfold since last Monday.
Biden made his first public comments on the matter Thursday morning when Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy shouted questions at the tail end of Biden’s remarks on the economy.
But on Friday morning, when President Biden welcomed Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan to the Oval Office, he blew off the shouted questions with a wisecrack.
Alexander’s specific question was answered a short time later on a press call with White House spokesman for oversight and investigations Ian Sams.
Alexander was on the call, but asked a different set of questions.
Sabrina Siddiqui of WSJ asked Sams “Would the president sit for an interview with the special counsel if he is asked to?”
“We’re not going to get ahead of that process with the special counsel and speculate on what they may or may not want or ask for. And so I’m just not going to comment on that at this time. And I would refer you over to DOJ on their process and their thinking in terms of how to conduct their own investigation,” Sams replied.
Watch above via ABC News and NBC News.
