Ex-White House stenographer says transcripts were never edited — after Biden aides are accused of cleaning up his ‘garbage’ quote
WASHINGTON — A former White House stenographer told The Post Friday that they can not recall a single instance of the presidential press office altering a transcript to soften inflammatory or embarrassing remarks — as officials have been accused of doing after President Biden called former President Donald Trump’s voters “garbage” Tuesday night.
“I don’t recall this happening ever in my six years as Biden’s vice presidential stenographer,” said Mike McCormick.
“Nor did it happen in the one year I served President Trump or the five years I served President [George W.] Bush. What goes in the transcript is what the White House stenographer hears and transcribes.”
Late Thursday, the Associated Press reported that the stenographers’ office had complained of “spoliation of transcript integrity” and a “breach of protocol” by the press office after Biden, 81, said on a campaign call with the Voto Latino group that “the only garbage I see floating out there is his [Trump’s] supporters.”
The official transcript, however, included an apostrophe on the word “supporter’s,” suggesting that Biden was only attacking comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who had called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden Sunday.
Traditionally, transcripts of presidential remarks are forwarded to reporters by the press office without correction, with strikethroughs to mark when the commander in chief misspeaks or otherwise noting when his words are unintelligible.
The leak of the complaint set off palace intrigue within the West Wing as well as speculation about the identity and motive of the leaker, whom insiders suspect is a political aide rather than a member of the stenographer team, which is known for its professionalism and discretion.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre side-stepped the matter when asked aboard Air Force One en route to Philadelphia Friday.
“I was asked this question, multiple versions of this question, on Wednesday,” Jean-Pierre claimed at first during the press gaggle — even though she had not addressed the stenographer complaint.
“I don’t have anything else more to share,” Jean-Pierre added before launching into a lengthy filibuster in which she championed Biden as “a president for all Americans.”
The press secretary was not asked any follow-up questions — after effectively running out the clock by delivering a non-time-sensitive opening statement and having acting Labor Secretary Julie Su field reporter questions on the brief flight.
“I don’t ever recall the press office changing a transcript at the president’s request,” added McCormick, who now openly supports Trump.
“In fact, I can recall in the Bush years, President Bush being occasionally surprised and disappointed in how the transcripts reflected his words. But he never changed them. Those words are his words, but the transcripts belong to the American people.”
The edit came after the retiring president handed Republicans an unexpected base-rallying sound bite.
Republicans including Trump, 78, are seeking to harness Biden’s attack in the final stretch of campaigning ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
“Just moments ago, Joe Biden stated that our supporters are garbage,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said at a Trump rally in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday night.
“He’s talking about the Border Patrol, he’s talking about nurses, he’s talking about teachers. He’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country and want to dream big again.
“And I hope their campaign is about to apologize for what Joe Biden just said,” the senator concluded. “We are not garbage. We are patriots who love America.”
A stenography supervisor wrote in an email to the press office that the edit was “a breach of protocol and spoliation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices,” according to the AP report.
“If there is a difference in interpretation, the Press Office may choose to withhold the transcript but cannot edit it independently,” the supervisor wrote.
“Our Stenography Office transcript — released to our distro, which includes the National Archives — is now different than the version edited and released to the public by Press Office staff.”
