Biden ‘Cheat Sheet’ Did Not Contain ‘Pre-Scripted’ Question As Some Have Alleged

President Joe Biden was photographed holding what many are calling a “cheat sheet” and alleging it shows “pre-scripted” questions, but my reporting indicates that is not the case.

At a joint press conference with  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Wednesday afternoon, Biden fielded questions from reporters and became a target of criticism when cameras picked up notecards with extremely detailed prep materials on them.

But some took their criticism beyond the facts by alleging the questions were “pre-scripted” and that the White House had advance knowledge of the question that Los Angeles Times White House reporter Courtney Subramanian was going to ask.

The card Biden was photographed holding did feature a photo of Subramanian and a phonetic pronunciation of her name, but the portion of the question that was visible did not match the question she asked.

“Your top economic priority has been to build up U.S. domestic manufacturing in competition with China. But your rules again- — against expanding chip manufacturing in China is hurting South Korean companies that rely heavily on Beijing. Are you damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election?” Subramian asked at the presser.

But the notecard — the portion that’s visible in photos, at least — differs significantly, although the general topic of semiconductors and alliances is common to both. However, that general subject was also the subject of Subramanian’s reporting during the last state visit, with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Additionally, when reached for comment, a spokesperson for the LA Times confirmed to Mediaite that there was no pre-scripting with the White House.

“Our reporter did not submit any questions in advance of the Q&A with President Biden. Courtney Subramanian covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times. As such, she is in regular contact with the White House press office seeking information for her reporting. You would have to ask the White House who prepared the document for the president and why they included that question,” the spokesperson said.

As two of CNN’s White House veterans — Kaitlan Collins and Arlette Saenz — explained on Thursday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, this sort of prep is nothing new, the outlet has confirmed there was no pre-scripting, and the questions did not match, but that the “level of specificity” in the prep materials is something that has drawn criticism.

In previous reporting, the White House has acknowledged to Mediaite that officials in the press office regularly communicate with reporters about topics that may be of interest to them in order to prepare briefing materials. Then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki has also spoken frequently about the ways in which the press team conducts research to anticipate what questions reporters may ask.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.