A seminar on hunger, nutrition, and health conducted on Wednesday at the White House provided the most recent unpleasant illustration.
In the course of the ceremony, Biden was delivering a speech, and it appears that his scripts or the teleprompter instructed him to make sure to recognize former Indiana representative Jackie Walorski, who served as the founder of the House Hunger Group.
However, when Biden questioned, “Jackie, are you here? Jackie, where are you?” and searched the room for the Congresswoman, who sadly wasn’t there because both she and two Congressional staff members tragically died in an automobile accident in Indiana in Aug.
After reporting that the White House will play a tribute film in honor of Walorski, Politico reporter Meredith Lee Hill, who was documenting the event, wrote on what transpired. Hill extended a helping hand to Biden, speculating that possibly he made his remarks “without knowing she sadly died in August.”
Though it was revealed that Biden (and First Lady Jill Biden) were definitely notified of Walorski’s demise in a statement that was published on the White House website following her passing.
Hill later observed that Biden’s adviser at the White House, Susan Rice, had cleaned up in her remarks:
“A few minutes later, Susan Rice thanked the legislators in a panel and stated that the group “of course” missed the late Rep. Jackie Walorski “who died unexpectedly in August.”
Naturally, this wasn’t the first time Biden has said something incredibly callous about politicians he was trying to recognize.
In a notorious 2008 video, then-Senator Joe Biden, who was also Barack Obama’s vice presidential campaign mate at the time, exhorted a Democratic state senator from Missouri to “get up,” seemingly forgetting or failing to see that he was in a wheelchair.
“Chuck Graham, a state lawmaker, is reportedly present. Chuck, get up so they can see you. God loves you so much. What am I referring to? You’re making everyone else start standing up, though, mate. I’ll tell you that much.”
