WATCH: State Dept Spox Peppered With Questions About Diplomatic Ramifications Of Biden's Debate

2 months ago

State Department Vedant Patel was asked about any concerns made from US allies to the State Department about President Biden's performance in the CNN debate.

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Transcript

00:00Have you had any contacts from allies or other countries expressing concern over this performance

00:07and asking to sort of – for reassurance?

00:11Again, I have no diplomatic conversations to speak to, but I will just echo again that

00:17world leaders know this president and they know this is a president who has worked at

00:23the cross-section of foreign policy for decades, and they know and believe in the policies

00:28that he and this administration are pursuing.

00:31Leaving aside the punditry and electioneering, what was your reaction?

00:36What was the reaction of this building?

00:39Matt, it's really not appropriate for me to be offering any commentary on something

00:45like a debate from up here, and I think you've been covering the State Department long enough

00:48to know that.

00:49But the question is going to be asked.

00:51I appreciate you asking it, I guess, but I'm going to politely – I'm going to – no,

00:57Matt, I do appreciate – I do appreciate any question you ask, but I will politely

01:02– I will politely decline to comment on –

01:08Okay, fair enough.

01:09But so to follow up on something, you've heard absolutely nothing, you're not aware

01:12of anything that any foreign government has said since Thursday night to you or to anyone

01:19you're not aware of about what happened?

01:23That is correct.

01:24Nothing?

01:25Correct.

01:27Okay.

01:28One more question on this.

01:29Go ahead.

01:30At this building, have you guys given any guidance to your top diplomats who are serving

01:37in a political capacity because they've been picked by this President in terms of

01:41how they should be answering questions about if Biden will remain the nominee from their

01:45interlocutors overseas?

01:47People who are employees of the State Department, whether they are a Schedule C, whether they

01:51are a presidentially nominated person in that position, are well aware of what their

02:00roles and responsibilities are in speaking to domestic politics in any kind of official

02:06capacity.

02:07So that's not a yes or a no?

02:09Go ahead.

02:10I have one.

02:11I have one.

WATCH: State Dept Spox Peppered With Questions About Diplomatic Ramifications Of Biden's Debate

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