That’s Not Accurate: White House Alters Transcript of Press Briefing

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

That’s Not Accurate: White House Alters Transcript of Press Briefing

There is a brewing controversy about what exactly was said at the White House press conference on October 31. Everyone agrees NBC’s Dick Gregory said this:

Q Whether there’s a question of legality, we know for a fact that there was involvement. We know that Karl Rove, based on what he and his lawyer have said, did have a conversation about somebody who Patrick Fitzgerald said was a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. We know that Scooter Libby also had conversations.

Congressional Quarterly and FNS both transcribed Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s answer as “That’s accurate.” The White House transcript lists McClellan’s answer as “I don’t think that’s accurate.”

We’ve isolated the clip so you can judge for yourself:

Watch in QuickTime streaming.

If you listened to the clip, it’s clear McClellan says “that’s accurate.” Nevertheless, the White House is trying to get CQ and FNS to change their transcripts. They’ve refused.

(HT: Wonkette)

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/11/09/wh-alters-transcrip...

[Catherine Vincent]

1. Why would the White House try to change the transcripts when they

know there's video out there? Amazing!

[Spinzonner]

4. Starting to believe their own lies

Crossed over into the Twilie Zone

[DrRang]

2. David Gregory, not Dick. n/t

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

5. Yeah, that's a Think Progress typo...I just copied & pasted.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Winston Smith Reporting for Duty

All erroneous history will be erased. All wrong-think will be expunged. All right-think will be catapulted. War is peace. Ignorance is Strength. Torture is compassionate conservativism. The truth is what Big BushCo says. Big BushCo loves you. Choco rations may be increased 2 mg. per citizen/consumer unit in one of the quarters next fiscal year.

We have always been at war with Terra.

etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum

[MercutioATC]

6. Don't just listen...WATCH McClellan.

He shakes his head in the negative and his lips clearly move before the "that's accurate" sound byte.

I'm not suggesting the audio has been altered, there's a chance his mic simply didn't pick up the beginning of the reply. However, it's clear to me that McClellan says SOMETHING before "that's accurate" and shakes his head "no".

[kanrok]

7. Yeah. I caught that as well.

But why would they change the record to "I don't think that's accurate?" He clearly did not say "I don't think that's accurate." He very well could have said "that's not accurate." Stupefying.

[MercutioATC]

9. They probably just asked him what he said.

Had he said "That's accurate", it would have been VERY uncharacteristic of what the administration's claiming. Therefore, the person making the transcription probably saw that he obviously said something before "that's accurate" that wasn't picked up my the mic, asked him what he said, and entered it into the record.

That's be my guess.

[yellowcanine]

8. Reminds me of how the Soviets used to erase purged party poobahs

from official photos.