President Obama, some unpaid bills and a curiously “inaudible” section of the White House recording of a speech — that’s how all good stories start, right?
While at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Chicago, Obama cracked a joke about the “unpaid bills” at his home. The joke was reported by the White House Press Corp. pool reporter, but when the official transcript was sent out later that night it was missing.
Per pool report:
Per original transcript:
After the edited transcript stirred up some online ire, the White House issued a “corrected” version. But instead of fixing the line, they marked it “inaudible.”
At the press briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest repeated the inaudible line, saying that, “There was a problem with the recording.”
Bloomberg Politics reports that this “unpaid bills” line is one Obama has used for years, making it especially strange that the White House is so vehemently denying it.
The”case of edited transcript” is yet another instance of a lack of transparency within the administration and a sense of distrust between the White House and the press.
The Washington Post reported in September that President Obama’s press aides have been censoring and changing details in pool reports.
Pool reports are written by reporters for other reporters and give people an up-close look at the president beyond the official White House record. Details from pool reports are worked into most articles about the president’s day. These reports are sent to White House for distribution and that is where the changes are happening, the Post reported.
Obama frequently holds only off-the-records meetings, as does his staff. His administration has launched more investigations into whistleblowers and anonymous sources than any administration before it.
The Associated Press also reported earlier this year that with each passing year of Obama’s presidency public access to government data and documents have gotten worse. His administration has “censored government files or outright denied access to them under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act” a record 81,752 times.
