Earlier today, PBS’ star journalist Yamiche Alcindor (as well as the print pool) reported that Joe Biden “nodded affirmatively” when asked if he trusts Vladimir Putin:
Reporter to President Biden: Do you trust Putin? Do you trust each other?
President Biden looked directly at the reporter and nodded affirmatively.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) June 16, 2021
Shortly thereafter, White House comms director Kate Bedingfield offered up this clarification, if you can even really call it that:
It was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other. @POTUS was very clearly not responding to any one question, but nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. He said just two days ago in his presser: “verify, then trust.” https://t.co/5C9gP4XTtO
— Kate Bedingfield (@WHCommsDir) June 16, 2021
And shortly after that, Alcindor reported Bedingfield’s comments to her Twitter followers, with a clarification of her own:
.@WHCommsDir Kate Bedingfield says the pool reporter in the room who reported that Biden nodded yes when asked if he trusted Putin was wrong. She says in fact that Biden was not responding to any one question.
Note: I wasn’t in the room & I am reporting what WH pool reported. https://t.co/8rO168UTVp
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) June 16, 2021
Oh, is that so?
You weren't even there!? Yikes that's embarrassing for you.
— notabit (@Notabit) June 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/o_from_ohio/status/1405154646642024448
OK, Yamiche. Whatever you say.
Then why did you tweet as though you observed this first-hand?
— 💛🐝⚖️🌊🥀 Em is vaccinated (@MLEZoe1) June 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/Freyja1987/status/1405146006040154125
If you weren't in the room that makes your original tweet all the more egregious. It should be deleted.
— CK (@HRCDemocrat) June 16, 2021
Couldn’t bother to add one of your trademark “notes” until Kate Bedingfield cleared things up for you, huh, Yamiche?
Amazing how that works.
Someone got the talking points from the Comms Director
— Scott "CA is proof liberals are dangerous" (@ScottC20012) June 16, 2021
I love the smell of irresponsible stenography in the morning.
— Alan Tieuli (@AlanTieuli) June 16, 2021
Amazing. The pooler on the scene says Biden was clearly answering a specific question when he looked directly at the reporter and nodded yes. But the WH Comms director gives her spin and Yamiche treats it as definitive. Why even pay this woman? Just publish WH statements. https://t.co/foWbuHvxlm
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 16, 2021
Note: I wasn't in the room & I'm just parroting whatever @whcommsdir tells me to say.
There. Fixed it for you. https://t.co/dA9iFKCEto
— Eric H. (@ericinva) June 16, 2021
Nice to see the President and press in total coordination, as if they were on the same team. https://t.co/DgDoQraA5Q
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) June 16, 2021
GP Biden's handlers and therapy staffers are doing yeoman's work in attempting to convince American voters that Biden didn't do the demented thing we just saw him do. https://t.co/qfrYSUarwa
— The Gormogons (@Gormogons) June 16, 2021
Wow media already running to coverup for Biden. @ggreenwald take a look at this.
— @TrickyDickPol (@trickydickpol) June 16, 2021
It’s almost beautiful, in a way. Because it’s just so gloriously predictable.
You are awesome, but if you weren’t in the room, why did you tweet this without being clear? You know who people trust? You. I assumed this was a first hand account when it crossed my feed. Disappointing. I rely on @PBS for factual reporting. https://t.co/ikjobn1QlJ
— SuzyQL 🕊 (Not *that* Q) (@SuzyQL) June 16, 2021
Relying on PBS and Yamiche Alcindor for factual reporting? That’s your first mistake right there.