During a meeting between President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, White House aides shouted down questions from American reporters.
On Tuesday, President Biden held a meeting in the Oval Office with PM Boris Johnson where they discussed the pandemic, the bilateral trading relationship, and climate change.
According to Ed O’Keefe from CBS, Johnson suggested taking questions from the press and two British reporters were allowed to speak.
When it was time for American reporters to ask questions, specifically about the border crisis, the president’s aides became very loud and began shouting “thank you”. The journalists were not able to continue speaking or hear the president’s response before they were escorted out of the office.
A video shows the reporters leaving the office when one reporter asks “What did he say?” and her colleague responds “I have no idea. Hope the microphone got it”.
U.S. reporters immediately went to Jen Psaki’s office to file a formal complaint over the issue. White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) president Steven Portnoy said “Psaki was not aware that the incident had occurred, and suggested that she was not in a position to offer an immediate solution. Your pooler requested a press conference. Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week”.