From today’s White House press briefing:
Q: Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003, when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby, and you said, “I’ve gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me they are not involved in this”?
Q: Do you stand by that statement?
MCCLELLAN: And if you will recall, I said that, as part of helping the investigators move forward on the investigation, we’re not going to get into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time as well.
Q: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you’re going to stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and tell people watching this that somehow you’ve decided not to talk.
You’ve got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?
MCCLELLAN: I’m well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation…
Q: (inaudible) when it’s appropriate and when it’s inappropriate?
MCCLELLAN: If you’ll let me finish.
Q: No, you’re not finishing. You’re not saying anything.
You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson’s wife. So don’t you owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did indeed talk about his wife, didn’t he?
MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.
QUESTION: Do you think people will accept that, what you’re saying today?
MCCLELLAN: Again, I’ve responded to the question.
QUESTION: You’re in a bad spot here, Scott…
[…]
MCCLELLAN: I appreciate your questions. You can keep asking them, but you have my response.
Q: Well, we are going to keep asking them.
When did the president learn that Karl Rove had had a conversation with a news reporter about the involvement of Joseph Wilson’s wife in the decision to send him to Africa?
MCCLELLAN: I’ve responded to the questions.
Q: When did the president learn that Karl Rove had been…
MCCLELLAN: I’ve responded to your questions.
From the White House press briefing of July 5:
Q: If nobody has anything else, do you have anything on the birthday, anything at all?
MCCLELLAN: He celebrated that last night.
Q: He did?
MCCLELLAN: Yes, he had a celebration – yes, they had some friends over to watch the fireworks and they had a birthday cake –
Q: What kind of birthday cake?
MCCLELLAN: I don’t know.
Q: Did she give anything?
MCCLELLAN: I was down on the lawn with family and friends.
Q: Was Don Evans there?
MCCLELLAN: He was in town this weekend.
Q: What did he get for his birthday.
MCCLELLAN: I will see if there’s any more to provide you. I think he might have taken a low-key approach to this birthday.
Q: Why? Because of his age?
Q: Did he see any of Live 8 concert? Did he see his friend, Bono, in the Live 8 concert at all?
MCCLELLAN: We didn’t talk about it.
