During a Friday night exclusive interview with President Joe Biden on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ABC’s World News Tonight anchor committed a random act of journalism and challenged Biden on a number of controversies from his administration’s abysmal handling of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio to Biden’s irresponsible handling of classified documents in his multiple homes and offices.
The first question came when Muir switched gears from questions on foreign affairs to domestic topics. The East Palestine crisis was first up with Muir noting how “it’s been three weeks now since the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio” and the Republican mayor Trent Conaway “says he saw you in Ukraine” and believes Biden “doesn’t care about us.” This got an audible scoff from Biden while Muir was speaking.
From there Muir asked if Biden has “any plan[s] to travel to Ohio, and have you talked with the mayor yet?”
Biden claimed that “within two hours of that derailment, the EPA was in there, within two hours. Every major agency in the United States government that had anything to do with rail and or cleanup was there and is there.” He then claimed he’s spoken, “at length to the Congresspersons, the Governors, the Senators from both states of Pennsylvania and Ohio.”
Muir followed up with Biden who didn’t directly answer the question: “so do you plan to travel there and have you talked with the mayor?”
“I can’t recall,” Biden responded. “I don’t think I’ve talked to the mayor, I’ve talked to everyone else there, multiple times. I’ve talked to both the Senators, both Governors, I’ve talked to everyone there is to talk to, and we’ve made it clear that everything is available.”
Moving on, Muir asked Biden about his comments when classified documents were found at former President Trump’s home and wondered how things are different when Biden did the same thing.
“You said I thought data that was in there may compromise sources and methods and names of people who help, and it’s just totally irresponsible,” Muir recalled before asking Biden if he can “assure the American people that none of the documents discovered in your garage or at your old office compromised sources or methods, or U.S. Intelligence?”
Biden in response was tight-lipped claiming that he’s been advised by counsel to “let the Justice Department make that decision, to not try to alter the case in any way.”
After Biden went on to claim that Trump’s situation was “totally different,” Muir asked the best question of the night: “that one word you used, when you hear about boxes in your garage or in your old office, you called the Trump discovery irresponsible. Is there something irresponsible here though too?”
That clearly irritated Biden who angrily shot back “you know, you’re a good lawyer, but you’re trying to make a comparison. There’s degrees of irresponsibility.”
This is a very different Muir from the one who once interviewed former President Trump and got caught completely off guard when the newly inaugurated President brought up the March for Life and the media’s lack of coverage compared to the so-called Women’s March.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
2/24/2023
6:40:16 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: I want to ask you about a couple of issues here at home. It’s been three weeks now since the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as you know. The mayor says he saw you in Ukraine and he says, it tells you he doesn’t care about us. They’re asking, is the President coming to Ohio? Do you have any plan to travel to Ohio, and have you talked with the mayor yet?
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Let’s put this in perspective. Within two hours of that derailment, the EPA was in there, within two hours. Every major agency in the United States government that had anything to do with rail and or cleanup was there and is there. In addition to that, I’ve spoken at length to the Congresspersons, the Governors, the Senators from both states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and I’ve made it clear to them anything they need is available or will make it available to them. Whatever happens here, you’ve got to understand, it’s the responsibility of the railroad company who’s made, by the way, tens of billions of dollars in profits. Tens of billions of dollars in profits lately.
MUIR: So do you plan to travel there and have you talked with the mayor?
BIDEN: I can’t recall. I don’t think I’ve talked to the mayor, I’ve talked to everyone else there, multiple times. I’ve talked to both the Senators, both Governors, I’ve talked to everyone there is to talk to, and we’ve made it clear that everything is available.
[…]
6:42:55 p.m. Eastern
MUIR: Let me ask you one of the immediate questions. If and when you do announce that you’re running again, you and the former President are both now under investigation by the Justice Department for the discovery of these classified documents. I know that you believe these two cases are very different, but I do remember something you said after the discovery at Mar-a-Lago.
You said I thought data that was in there may compromise sources and methods and names of people who help, and it’s just totally irresponsible. Can you assure the American people that none of the documents discovered in your garage or at your old office compromised sources or methods, or U.S. Intelligence?
BIDEN: I have been advised by the counsel, let the Justice Department make that decision, to not try to alter the case in any way. There have been very few documents that have been confiscated, found in my possession that are in—other than—in my possession, meaning in my home.
All the stuff that was moved out of my Senate office over the years, I’m told there were a couple of things that were from 1973 or ’74, documents were marked classified. I don’t know of anything—maybe—I don’t know of anything that is marked like it was, top secret, highly classified, et cetera. But I’m told not to comment on that because I don’t even know what they were able to—what they confiscated.
MUIR: There are many who will understand why you can’t comment, why your lawyers are saying not to comment. They also saw you, though, comment on former President Trump, & so at the very least.
BIDEN: Because look here’s what they were showing — you guys were showing on television things lying on the ground that said top secret, national — code word. And the difference is, every single solitary thing I’ve been asked to do, I’ve done voluntarily. I’ve invited the Justice Department to come into every aspect of any place that I had any control over. There was no need for search warrants, no need for — what you do need? Just come. Whatever you want. Whatever you want, wherever you want to go, you can go. That was totally different.
MUIR: But that one word you used, when you hear about boxes in your garage or in your old office, you called the Trump discovery irresponsible. Is there something irresponsible here though too?
BIDEN: You know, you’re a good lawyer, but you’re trying to make a comparison. There’s degrees of irresponsibility. They can be significant degrees of irresponsibility. What—the way in which the boxes were packed up from my office, apparently not everything was gone through as meticulously as it should have, but there was no intention. I opened up my home, all my homes –the home at the beach and the home — my permanent home and they spent hours and hours going through everything, personal — everything I had. And that’s a fundamentally different thing. There’s nothing for me to hide.