A new report contradicts White House press secretary Josh Earnest’s Thursday statement that officials in the Obama administration would not have altered video footage or transcripts of press briefings regarding the Iran nuclear deal without consulting him first.
ABC News discovered late Friday the White House omitted a line from a May 9 press briefing that had included a response from Earnest in which he admitted the administration might have misled the public on the controversial Iran nuclear deal.
Fox News reporter Kevin Corke has asked Earnest, “Can you state categorically that no senior official in this administration has ever lied publicly about any aspect of the Iran nuclear deal?”
“No, Kevin,” Earnest responded.
But Earnest’s initial response was not recorded into the official White House transcript, only the rest of the spokesman’s statement defending the White House’s actions was documented.
However, the White House’s YouTube page contains the video of the briefing, including the entire interaction between Earnest and Corke, even the omitted two words. The White House told ABC News it was done because Earnest’s first few words were not discernible.
The omission is the second related to the Iran deal that has surfaced this week.
The State Department admitted to deleting eight minutes of video from its website and YouTube page that showed two interactions between a reporter and spokesperson.
The multiple incidents now indicate the Obama administration’s editing and deleting of public records may not just be freak accidents, but a purposeful altering of the historical record.
