Pool Reports of April 27, 2022

WH Pool 1: Pool is gathering for our first movement

Good morning. Pool is now walking to the vans to head up to the National Cathedral for former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's funeral. Remarks are scheduled for 11am and are slated to be streamed. POTUS is expected to speak for approximately 15 minutes, per a WH official.

WH Pool 2: Motorcade is rolling from WH at 1051

Will update on arrival.

WH Pool 3: motorcade has arrived at Cathedral

Pool did not see POTUS enter.

WH Pool 4: Traveling with the President

Traveling with the President to former Secretary of State Madeline Albright's funeral, per a WH official:

Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President & Counselor to the President
Susan Rice, Assistant to the President & Domestic Policy Advisor
Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady
Annie Tomasini, Assistant to the President & Director of Oval Office Operations
Jen Psaki, Assistant to the President & Press Secretary
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Assistant to the President & Homeland Security Advisor & Deputy National Security Advisor
Jon Finer, Assistant to the President & Principal Deputy National Security Advisor
Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Act Implementation Coordinator
Dr. Amanda Sloat, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President
Travis Dredd, Special Assistant to the President & Trip Director
Meghan Hays, Special Assistant to the President & Director of Message Planning

WH Pool 5: Attendees, per a WH official

Attendees and participants for the funeral service for former Secretary of State Madeline Korbel Albright include:

Officiating Clergy

• The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
• The Very Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean, Washington National Cathedral
• The Reverend Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan, Canon for Worship, Washington National Cathedral

Committal Clergy

• The Reverend Virginia K. Gerbasi, Rector, St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
• The Reverend John R. Unger II, St. John's Episcopal Church, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Tributes

• The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Forty-Sixth President of the United States
• The Honorable William J. Clinton, Forty-Second President of the United States
• The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sixty-seventh U.S. Secretary of State

Officials attending include

• Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
• Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense
• Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence
• Bill Burns, CIA Director
• Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
• Samantha Power, USAID Administrator
• General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and former U.S. Secretary of State
• Lael Brainard, Federal Reserve Vice Chair
• David Cohen, CIA Deputy Director

Former officials include

• Barack Obama, Former President
• Michelle Obama, Former First Lady
• Al Gore, Former U.S. Vice President
• Condoleezza Rice, Former U.S. Secretary of State
• Ash Carter, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense
• Chuck Hagel, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense
• Bill Cohen, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense
• Robert Ruben, Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
• Jacob J. Lew, Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
• Eric Holder, Former U.S. Attorney General
• Carol Browner, Former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Thomas Pickering, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

Congressional Leaders

• Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader
• A large bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and House of Representatives

Secretary Albright's daughters will speak in birth order (Anne and Alice are identical twins)

• Anne K. Albright, Judge, Maryland Court of Special Appeals
• Alice P. Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation an independent U.S. Government development agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth
• Katharine M. Albright, President and Chief Executive Officer of Safe & Sound, a San Francisco-based children's advocacy organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and reduce its devastating impact

Readers

• Winifred S. Freund, Wellesley College Class of 1959
• Rabbi David N. Saperstein, Former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
• The Honorable Wendy R. Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
• The Honorable Condoleezza Rice, Sixty-sixth U.S. Secretary of State and a student of Secretary Albright's father, Josef Korbel, at the University of Denver

Intercessors

• Suzanne A. George, Chief of Staff at the U.S. State Department
• The Honorable Susan E. Rice, Assistant to the President and the Director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council, The White House

Pallbearers

• Former members of Secretary Albright's Diplomatic Security Service and protective detail from her time as both U.S. Ambassador to the UN and as Secretary of State.

Honorary Pallbearers

• A. Katherine Silva, known as Kathy Silva, sister of Secretary Albright
• John J. Korbel, brother of Secretary Albright
• The Honorable María Eugenia Brizuela de Ávila, former Foreign Minister of El Salvador (1999-2004).
• James S. Crown, Chairman of the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees
• The Honorable Thomas A. Daschle, Chair of the National Democratic Institute (NDI)
• Dr. John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University
• Jacob M. Freedman, Chief of Staff to Secretary Albright
• Paula A. Johnson, M.D., President of Wellesley College
• Maria A. Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize recipient
• Dan K. Rosenthal, Managing Principal of Albright Stonebridge Group
• George C. Rowland, Senior General Services Officer in the Secretary of State's Executive Office
• Elaine K. Shocas, Chief of Staff to Secretary Albright at the U.S. Department of State
• The Honorable Dan Sullivan, Chair of the International Republican Institute (IRI)
• Bill Woodward, Co-author
• Ambassador Michael Žantovský, Executive Director of the Vaclav Havel Library and Former Czech Ambassador to the United States

Ushers

• Former teaching assistants of Secretary Albright's classes over the past 20 years at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University

Guest Musicians

• Chris Botti, Trumpet
• Herbie Hancock, Piano
• Judy Collins, Vocals

WH Pool 6: As you can see on TV, attendees are masked

Per a WH official, the family asked for all funeral attendees and press to remain masked for the duration of the service.

WH Pool 7: Correction — it is Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin

Spelling was incorrect in the list provided by the WH. Thanks to the reader who caught the typo.

WH Pool 8: Motorcade departed the Cathedral grounds at 1:49

Pool did not see POTUS leave the Cathedral.

WH Pool 9: POTUS returns to WH and enters oval at 1:59

Other WH officials entered the West Wing via the Colonnade.

WH Pool 10: Lunch lid until 3 PM

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.]

WH Pool 11: Two minute warning to briefing

Was called like 60 seconds ago...

WH Pool 12: Pool is in the East Room awaiting POTUS

The Teachers of the Year event is scheduled for 4pm and should begin momentarily.

WH Pool 13: Teacher of Year Event has commenced

Remarks are being carried live.

WH Pool 14: Questions were shouted at event's conclusion

Biden appeared to answer a shouted question on how he secured the release of Trevor Reed:

"I did it."

How?

"I raised it three months ago."

Your print pool was not in a great position to witness and record this exchange. Biden was closer to the cameras so when we're out of the East Room I will attempt to get better audio.

WH Pool 15: Travel photo lid and full exchange with CNN's Kaitlan Collins

First, we have a travel photo lid.

Second, here's the exchange the president had with CNN as he was leaving the East Room through the center door, out into the F0yer. Print pool had been sequestered in the northern half of the room, so thanks to Kaitlan for sharing her iPhone video. Transcribed as follows.

CNN: "Mr. President, how did Trevor Reed's release happen given the invasion and what's going on?

Biden: "Say again."

CNN: "Were you surprised that Trevor Reed was released, given the invasion?"

Biden: "I did it. I raised it."

CNN: "How? How though?

Biden: "It was three months ago."

CNN: "What does it signal?"

Biden then walked away.