Eleven days after President Biden drew criticism for appearing to brush off a query about the deadly wildfires in Hawaii with a “no comment,” a White House spokeswoman said on Thursday that the president never heard the question.
Olivia Dalton, the deputy White House press secretary, made the clarification in response to a question from The New York Times.
“He didn’t hear the question,” Ms. Dalton said.
“He absolutely didn’t say ‘no comment’ in relation to Maui.
And in fact, he had already spoken to the nation about Maui at that point, in addition to being in daily contact with senior staff, FEMA and state officials as he marshaled a whole-of-government response to the fires.”
Persons:
Biden, ”, Olivia Dalton, Biden’s, Ms, Dalton, “
Organizations:
White, The New York Times, Republican, FEMA
Locations:
Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, Rehoboth Beach, Del