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Biden chided over classified documents on hot mic

NBC’s Peter Alexander distinctly heard asking: ‘Will you commit to speak to the special counsel?’

Sravasti Dasgupta
Wednesday 18 January 2023 05:40 GMT
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Biden’s Classified Documents: White House not talking about the documents

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An NBC reporter has been caught on hot mic speaking to another reporter about president Joe Biden ignoring his question on his handling of classified documents.

On Tuesday, Mr Biden met Netherlands prime minister Mark Rutte for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office.

Ahead of the meeting, reporters were present as the two leaders made remarks at a photo op. After the photo op, reporters started shooting questions at the president.

NBC’s Peter Alexander asked: “Will you commit to speak to the special counsel?”

As the noise died down, Mr Alexander could be heard on the hot mic saying to another reporter that the president looked right back at him and ignored the question.

“I looked him straight in the eye and said it, he looked at me back and didn’t say a word! ‘Will you commit to speak to the special counsel?’ He looked at me, didn’t say a word,” he could be heard saying.

As the other reporter asked why, the rest of the conversation remained inaudible on the NBC live feed, reported Mediaite.

The president has not given any remarks on his own handling of classified documents since last week when he was confronted by Fox’s Peter Doocy, who questioned him, “what were you thinking?” after documents were found in a locked garage “next to [his] Corvette” at the president’s Wilmington residence.

“I’m going to get the chance to speak on all of this, God willing it’ll be soon, but I said earlier this week – and by the way my Corvette is in a locked garage. It’s not like it’s sitting out in the street,” Mr Biden said to Mr Doocy on Thursday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president had confidence in the team responsible for managing the situation in the public eye.

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