“I got several questions, eight of them, and the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved,” she added.
Ingram didn’t answer, but separately told the Associated Press on Saturday that Biden aides sent him a list of four questions in advance, adding, “There was no back and forth.”
He said while the predetermined list had given him pause, he moved forward because “this was an opportunity to talk to the president of the United States.”
NPR has confirmed that the Biden campaign — as opposed to the White House — engaged with the hosts ahead of their interviews.
Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt defended the move in a statement, saying it’s “not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer” and that the questions asked of Biden were “relevant to the news of the day.”
“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” she added.
In the wake of the controversy, the campaign decided to stop offering suggested questions, a source familiar with the campaign’s media booking operation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to comment on private discussions.
Seems they were fine until others got upset? This headline is once again misleading. But by all means, let the media divide us lmao
Seems they were fine until others got upset? This headline is once again misleading. But by all means, let the media divide us lmao