GOP Senator Insists to Secretary of State That Someone ‘Cuts Off Biden’s Mic’ When He Speaks: ‘It’s Been Widely Reported’
During Tuesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) expressed suspicion that someone at the White House has been cutting off audio when President Joe Biden is speaking.
During his line of questioning, Risch, the ranking member of the committee, asked Blinken about who was calling the shots surrounding the Afghan withdrawal. This led to Risch, who said he’s “more interested in the top decision-making,” to ask the nation’s top diplomat that “as recently as yesterday, somebody in the White House has authority to press the button and cut off the president’s speaking ability and sound. Who is that person?”
Blinken laughed and said, “I think anybody who knows the president, including members of this committee, knows that he speaks very clearly and very deliberately for himself. No one else does.”
“Are you saying that there’s no one in the White House that can cut him off, because yesterday that happened and it’s happened a number of times before that,” responded Risch. “It’s been widely reported that somebody has the ability to push the button and cut off his sound and stop him from speaking. Who is that person?”
Blinken laughed and replied, “There is no such person. Again, the president speaks for himself, makes all the strategic decisions informed by the best advice he can get from the people around him.”
Risch asked, “Are you unaware this is actually happening? Because it happened yesterday at the [National] Interagency Fire Center. It was widely reported, the media’s reported on it and it’s not the first time it’s happened, it’s happened several times. Are you telling this committee that this does not happen, that there’s no one in the White House who pushes the button and cuts him off in mid-sentence?”
“That’s correct,” responded Blinken, who laughed during Risch’s question.
“So this didn’t happen nor on the other occasions where the media showed the American people that his sentence was cut off in mid-sentence,” asked Risch.
“Senator, I really don’t know what you’re referring to,” said Blinken. “All I can tell you is having worked with the president for now 20 years, both here on this committee and in over the last nine months at the White House, the president very much speaks for himself.”
“Well, let’s take a different attack,” said Risch. “He does speak for himself, but what happens when somebody doesn’t want him speaking? You’re telling us you don’t know anything about this, that somebody cuts him off in mid-sentence, is that what you’re trying to tell this committee? Because everybody here has seen it.”
Blinken replied, “Senator, I am telling you based on my own experience with the president over the last 20 years, anyone who tried to stop him from saying what he wanted to say, speaking his mind, would probably not be long for their job.”
Watch above, via MSNBC.
