Biden’s press team ‘stepped in’ to change the meaning of ‘nonsense’ comments

The White House press team reportedly edited the transcript of the letter Joe Biden’s “garbage” comments to change its meaning.

Mr Biden was subsequently accused of offending the former president’s supporters with his comments he was asked about a comedian’s comments at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, labeling Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.”

The official transcript, compiled by government stenographershad transcribed the sentence as “the only trash I see floating around there are his supporters,” the Associated Press reported.

However, an internal email obtained by AP appears to show that the press office “consulted with the president” and amended the stenographers’ transcript to insert an apostrophe in “supporters,” suggesting that Biden exclusively had talked about the rally comedian.

The change prompted a response from a member of the official White House transcript writing team, who complained that the move was a “break of protocol” and noted that the edited transcript would be placed in the National Archives.

Biden’s comments came after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean.”

Responding to a call from campaign group Voto Latino, Biden said: “The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American.”

VotoLatino | votolatino.org

His intervention was quickly seized upon by the Trump campaign, which accused him of insulting voters, while Kamala Harris, the vice president, appeared to distance herself from her former running mate’s comments.

In an internal email following the apostrophe’s insertion, the supervisor of the White House stenographer’s office accused the press office of “breaching protocol and plundering the integrity of transcripts.”

“If there is a difference of interpretation, the press office may choose to withhold the transcript, but cannot independently edit it,” they wrote.

“Our Stenography Office transcript – released to our distribution, which includes the National Archives – is now different from the version edited by Press Office staff and released to the public.

“Regardless of the urgency, it is essential to the authenticity and legitimacy of our transcripts that we adhere to a consistent protocol for requesting edits, approval and release.”

The person declined to comment when contacted by the Associated Press, although two government officials reportedly confirmed the email’s authenticity.

Andrew Bates, the White House deputy press secretary, did not address the alleged redaction by his office when asked for comment.

“The president confirmed in his tweet Tuesday night that he addressed the comedian’s hateful rhetoric at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden,” he said. “That was reflected in the transcript.”

The news is likely to inflame Republicans in the House of Representatives, who this week debated whether to launch an investigation into the scandal.

Senior officials wrote a letter to the White House counsel on Wednesday demanding that the administration preserve documents and internal communications about Mr. Biden’s comments and the release of the transcript.

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