‘I have no comment at all’: Biden shuts down reporters for questioning Trump indictment — after White House insisted he hear about allegations from TV and refused to comment on Burisma bribery allegations
- President Joe Biden declined to comment Friday on questions about the federal indictment against former President Donald Trump
- Biden was given a tour of a robotics lab at a North Carolina community college as he made his first comment on the landmark indictment
- “I have no comment at all,” Biden said, as reporters were chased out of the room
President Joe Biden gave “no comment” when he was peppered with questions about former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment during a tour of a community college in North Carolina Friday.
Biden was given a tour of Nash Community College’s robotics lab as he made his first comment on the landmark indictment that Trump himself unveiled Thursday night.
“I have no comment at all,” Biden said, as reporters were chased out of the room. He had ignored several shouted questions earlier in the day.
The president later said he had not spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who turned over two Trump-related investigations to Special Counsel Jack Smith.
“I haven’t talked to him at all and I’m not going to talk to him. And I have no comment on that,” Biden said.
Earlier, his deputy press secretary, Olivia Dalton, also issued a string of no comments aboard Air Force One en route to its two stops in North Carolina.
She also revealed that Biden learned about the Trump news just like all other Americans — by watching the news.
President Joe Biden gave ‘no comment’ as he was peppered with questions about former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment during a tour of a North Carolina community college Friday
DailyMail.com had asked her if she could comment on Republican concerns about the Trump indictment that came out the same day House Republicans were given access to an FBI document in which a source claimed a Burisma executive said Biden and his son Hunter each paid $5 million to stop an investigation.
“Again, we’re not going to comment on this,” she said. “I’ll tell you that—and confirm, as we said last night, that the president and senior staff found out last night, just like everyone else.”
“No foreknowledge that this was coming. Came from news reports, just like everyone else across America,” she added.
As soon as Dalton appeared on the plane to chat with reporters, she was asked about news of the indictment.
“We are simply not going to comment on this matter and are referring you to the DOJ, which is conducting its criminal investigations independently,” she said.
She also would not comment on the GOP’s concerns that the Justice Department has become politicized under Biden.
“Look, this is a president who respects the rule of law and has said so from day one,” she noted. “That is precisely why we do not comment here. He believes in respecting the DOJ’s independence and protecting the integrity of their processes. And that, again, is why we leave it at that.’
Dalton also declined to say whether the president was comfortable with Democrats raising money for the Trump news.
“I’m just not going to comment on this,” she said, while DailyMail.com referenced a tweet from Hillary Clinton sent earlier today.
The former Democratic nominee raised money by selling hats that read “But Her Emails,” a reference to her own classified documents scandal, in which the FBI left her uncharged.