House Republicans Probe White House Transcript After Biden Calls Trump Supporters ‘Garbage’

House Republicans have announced an investigation into the White House’s handling of President Joe Biden’s recent remarks, where he reportedly referred to supporters of President Donald Trump as “garbage.” GOP leaders allege that the White House altered the official transcript to downplay Biden’s remarks, potentially breaching federal law.

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) addressed these concerns in a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel. They claim that instead of issuing an apology, the White House published a misleading transcript to avoid backlash, an action they argue violates the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

Video footage from Biden’s comments at the event shows him saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” However, the official White House transcript reportedly altered this to, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos,” which Republicans say appears politically motivated.

Stefanik and Comer’s letter emphasizes that “White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States” to make them less divisive. They demanded that the White House retain all documents related to the transcript and publish a corrected version with Biden’s original language.

Journalist Michael Shellenberger echoed these concerns, warning that such alterations could breach federal transparency requirements. Shellenberger argued that the change is legally questionable and lacks transparency.

This probe is part of Republicans’ ongoing efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable for transparency issues. With Election Day on the horizon, Republicans continue to scrutinize any perceived attempts to shield the president’s words from public view.