WATCH: White House Reporters Complain About ‘Chaotic Scene’ as Biden Aides Shout Them Out of the Oval
The White House press pool was perturbed after getting unceremoniously bounced from the Oval Office without being allowed to ask President Joe Biden a question.
The scene — described as “chaotic” by pooler Andrew Restuccia of the Wall Street Journal — took place during Biden’s meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The prime minister had called on two reporters from British outlets, and just as he was winding down on his response to the second, White House aides began shouting reporters out of the room.
MOMENTS AGO: Staff orders news media to leave The White House as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks mid-sentence pic.twitter.com/MXg2m0o1hq
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 21, 2021
CBS White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe tried to ask Biden a question about the border. The president tried to answer. But the shouting from his aides left O’Keefe unable to hear the reply.
“That’s absurd,” one reporter could be heard saying, as the journalists filed out of the room. “Two British reporters get questions and we don’t get anything.”
Several correspondents aired their grievances on Twitter:
IN THE PRESIDENT’S OVAL OFFICE:
Boris Johnson recognized two British reporters for questions.
Joe Biden then signaled it was time for the press to leave, without taking any questions from his own press corps.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) September 21, 2021
UK PM Johnson called on 2 British reporters to ask questions during the Oval meeting today. Biden answered those Qs, but didn’t call on any US reporters.
WH aides then began shouting over reporters asking Qs to get press out of the room, preventing any Q&A w/ US press— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) September 21, 2021
A chaotic scene in the Oval Office today as Boris Johnson unexpectedly took questions from British reporters, and White House aides shouted over American reporters as we tried to ask Biden questions https://t.co/2wus2ilX0F
— Andrew Restuccia (@AndrewRestuccia) September 21, 2021
Apparently only British reporters were recognized for questions in the Biden-Johnson Oval office spray and now the US press pool are up in arms.
From pooler @stevenportnoy pic.twitter.com/dOZgRfQhlp— Patsy Widakuswara (@pwidakuswara) September 21, 2021
White House pool reporter Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio said the pool met with Press Secretary Jen Psaki to lodge what he termed a “formal complaint”:
“The entire editorial component of the US pool went immediately into Jen Psaki’s office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the president’s Oval Office, and that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed O’Keefe’s question about the situation at the southern border. Biden’s answer could not be heard over the shouting.
Psaki was unaware that the incident had occurred, and suggested she was not in position to offer an immediate solution.
Your pooler requested a press conference. Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week.”
Watch above.
