The White House has been accused of altering President Biden’s transcript despite concerns raised by stenographers, according to Fox News Digital. The supervisor of the Stenography Office highlighted a breach of protocol and spoilation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices in an email. The Director of White House Stenography, Amy Sands, also expressed disapproval of the White House press office’s actions in an email, emphasizing that rush drafts/excerpts are not intended for public distribution.
When contacted by Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated that the President’s tweet on Tuesday evening clarified that he was addressing hateful rhetoric from a comedian at Trump’s rally. However, it remains unclear whether the transcript cited by the White House is the altered version released to the press or the final version sent to the National Archives.
The transcript controversy originated from a virtual Harris campaign call where Biden referred to Trump supporters as “garbage” following an incident at Trump’s rally. The original stenographers’ transcript wrote the word as “supporters,” while the White House press office released a version with “supporter’s,” implying a different target of criticism.
Biden’s comment sparked reactions on social media, with Vice President Harris distancing herself from the insult during a press briefing. Trump capitalized on the situation by making a playful gesture at a rally, wearing a neon orange safety vest. Harris emphasized her disagreement with criticizing people based on their voting preferences, stating that her work is about representing all Americans.
The story will be updated as it develops. Joseph A. Wulfsohn, a media reporter for Fox News Digital, can be contacted for story tips via email or Twitter.