There is plenty of conflicting, head-scratching information regarding Secretary of State John Kerry’s whereabouts on Wednesday as Egypt descended into chaos.
CBS News had reported that Kerry was on his boat at Nantucket:
Secretary Kerry was aboard his yacht, the "Isabel" this afternoon pic.twitter.com/R6v1UDFNGu
— Mosheh Oinounou (@Mosheh) July 3, 2013
Multiple Twitter users also tweeted the same thing:
From his boat 'Slayride' my college buddy says he spotted Secretary of State John Kerry yachting in Nantucket Harbor. #imonaboat #Egypt
— Antoine Gara (@AntoineGara) July 4, 2013
Purported photo of Kerry's yacht sailing in Nantucket Harbor today @blakehounshell @jeneps https://t.co/Z6xQWPbxog pic.twitter.com/z771JDWINP
— ?? Jason Graziadei (@JasonGraziadei) July 4, 2013
Nantucket reporter Jason Graziadei says Kerry was “definitely” there:
@blakehounshell @jaketapper @jrpsaki @JohnKerry he's definitely on Nantucket, probably Hulbert Ave. Earlier —> https://t.co/DlJjI1fScw
— ?? Jason Graziadei (@JasonGraziadei) July 4, 2013
Graziadei even posted Vine video purportedly of Kerry’s motorcade trying to navigate a roundabout. The video was posted to Twitter on July 3rd at about noon ET:
Secretary of State John Kerry's motorcade gets stuck in #Nantucket rotary traffic. #awkward https://t.co/ZEOlDHo39Y
— ?? Jason Graziadei (@JasonGraziadei) July 3, 2013
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@jeneps @blakehounshell motorcade was larger than what the video showed due to traffic. State cop at the rotary told me it was Kerry
— ?? Jason Graziadei (@JasonGraziadei) July 4, 2013
The roundabout is located about one mile from the Marina, according to Graziadei:
@IshYimini about a mile away
— ?? Jason Graziadei (@JasonGraziadei) July 4, 2013
Earlier today, the National Security Council tweeted a picture of President Obama meeting with his national security team. John Kerry is not seen, though not everybody in the room is visible:
Today the President met w/members of his national security team to discuss the situation in Egypt. See photo here: http://t.co/EtxkYu1K45
— Obama NSC- Archived (@NSC44) July 3, 2013
The Department of State says Kerry was not on a boat today and was in Washington DC as of 4 a.m. this morning:
State Dept. Denies Report That Kerry Was On Yacht In Nantucket During Egyptian President’s Ouster: http://t.co/eCp0JHrEdU
— WBZ | CBS Boston News (@wbz) July 4, 2013
From Politico:
A CBS News producer tweeted a photo of Kerry’s yacht, Isabel, on Wednesday afternoon and said a colleague saw Kerry boarding it at the Nantucket Boat Basin. She shouted “Morsi,” but got no response from the secretary of state.
But the State Department said Kerry was not aboard a boat on Wednesday and has spent the day working the phones on Egypt. “Since his plane touched down in Washington at 4 a.m., Secretary Kerry was working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis in Egypt,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “He participated in the White House meeting with the president by secure phone and was and is in non-stop contact with foreign leaders, and his senior team in Washington and Cairo. Any report or tweet that he was on a boat is completely inaccurate.”
So his plane touched down in Washington DC at 4 a.m. On the other hand, he was in Nantucket this morning, according to several eyewitnesses. On the other other hand, he was working all day. And he called into an important meeting at the White House rather than attend in person.
If you’re confused, you’re not the only one.
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