The Washington Post's White House bureau chief Ashley Parker is the latest journalist to slam the Biden administration for shutting down questions from American reporters during the president's meeting Tuesday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
'Worth noting that Biden ran for office promising to restore democracy after 4 years of Trump. But today it was the British leader, NOT the American one, who spotlighted a key tenet of a flourishing democracy - respect for a free press - by taking questions from his press corps,' Parker tweeted Tuesday night.
Biden did not recognize any American reporters for questions during an Oval Office meeting with Johnson - and his aides cleared out journalists as they tried to query the president.
President Biden's answer to a question about the situation on the border couldn't be heard as his staff shouted over him
The Washington Post's White House bureau chief Ashley Parker was critical of Biden in a Tuesday night tweet
Biden did attempt to answer one shouted question from a CBS reporter about the crisis on the Southern border but his answer was unclear when White House staff shouted down reporters, covering the president's attempt to respond as they demanded journalists leave.
'Violence is not justified,' Biden appeared to say but the rest of his response was not decipherable.
White House staff even interrupted Johnson as they pushed to get reporters out of the room, shouting over the British prime minister as he and Biden sat in their chairs, watching the chaotic scene unfold as aides ushered journalists out of the Oval Office.
As reporters were ushered out, CBS White House reporter Ed O'Keefe shouted a question to Biden asked about the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration is facing backlash and criticism following images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using whips to round up migrants or prevent them from stepping onto American soil.
But White House aides yelled 'thank you' and 'let's go' to the press in the room, herding them out as Biden appeared to try and address the issue. Between the shouting of his aides and the president's wearing a face mask, it was impossible to make out the majority of what Biden said.
The president seemed to know what he and the prime minister where in for when he wished Johnson 'good luck' after the prime minister said the two leaders would take a few questions.
'I think we will take a couple of questions, just a couple of people,' Johnson said.
'Good luck,' Biden responded.
Johnson then took control, calling on three British reporters for questions that he and Biden answered. The president did not call on a single reporter.
With no American reporter called upon and, as White House staff said it was time to go, the U.S. journalists started shouting questions at Biden and Johnson.
That is when aides shouted them down.
'I think that's it,' Johnson quipped as the aides shouted at reporters and journalists shouted questions.
After reporters were pulled from the Oval Office, a group of American reporters making up the 'pool' - the small group of journalists that follow the president to represent the entire press crops - went into White House press secretary Jen Psaki's office to give her a formal complaint about the situation.
'The entire editorial component of the US pool went immediately into Jen Psaki's office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the president's Oval Office,' noted CBS radio correspondent Steve Portnoy in his report. Portnoy is also president of the White House Correspondents' Association. 'And that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed O'Keefe's question about the situation at the Southern Border. Biden's answer could not be heard over the shouting.'
'Psaki was unaware that the incident has occurred and suggested that she was not in a position to offer an immediate solution,' Portnoy's report continued. 'Your pooler requested a press conference.'
'Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week,' Portnoy said.
During Trump's tenure, aides would similarly yell at press to exit the Oval Office, but the former president was more likely to answer questions in other venues - including when he would leave the White House for trips, referred to so-called 'chopper talk,' as Marine One would be parked on the South Lawn, waiting for him to depart.
Trump also previously held a press conference tied to the United Nations General Assembly, which is happening both in-person and virtually this week.
Biden spoke before the body in New York Tuesday before returning to Washington for his meeting with Johnson.
President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office at the White House
President Biden had a notecard in hand - as he usually does for meetings - that he referred to during his remarks with Johnson
Press are seen gathered in the Oval Office as Biden and Boris Johnson hold a meeting
A close up of the notecard Biden used in his meeting with PM Johnson
At the beginning of their meeting, Biden and Johnson exchanged pleasantries and joked about their shared love of trains.
The prime minister took the Amtrak train down from New York City, where he was at the annual UN General Assembly meeting, to meet with Biden at the White House.
'They love you,' Johnson told Biden of Amtrak. 'You are a living deity on Amtrak, I can tell you.'
The president bragged how he had ridden over 2 million miles on the nation's train system.
'Well, they should. I've traveled more on Amtrak,' he said. 'If I were conductor I'd be number one in seniority.'
Johnson thanked Biden for hosting his first White House meeting. The two men were both in New York on Tuesday for the UN meeting but each traveled separately to Washington so they could meet at the White House.
'I want to thank you very much for today. It's great to be with you,' Johnson said. 'And This is a very important trip for us in the UK and we've seen some great progress just in the last period.'
He thanked Biden for lifting the ban on British beef in the U.S. and for easing the travel ban, allowing those fully vaccinated to travel between the U.S. and UK.
Biden had a notecard in hand - as he usually does for meetings - that he referred to during his remarks with Johnson.
Johnson then called on a few British reporters to ask questions.
The two leaders were quizzed on the Harry Dunn case, possible trade deals and the Irish protocols.
Reporters when then escorted out as the American press shouted questions to Biden about the latest crisis at the border and the situation with the French.
Biden reassured Johnson that the case of Harry Dunn, who died in a road crash involving U.S. diplomat Anne Sacoolas, is 'being worked on' even as no details were released.
But there seemed
