Pool Reports of February 1, 2023

In Town Pool Report #1: Lunch lid

White House has called "brunch" lid until 12:30 pm.

In-Town Pool Report #2: Schedule

Below, please find today's White House schedule.

EST

9:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Closed Press

10:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

1:15 PM THE PRESIDENT convenes a meeting of his Competition Council to receive an update on progress his Administration has made to increase competition in the American economy and lower prices for the American people
East Room
In-House Pool Spray (Gather 1:05 PM – Palm Room Doors)

3:15 PM THE PRESIDENT hosts Speaker McCarthy for a meeting at the White House to discuss a range of issues
Oval Office
Closed Press

5:00 PM THE PRESIDENT hosts an official transition event to thank Chief of Staff Ron Klain for his tireless work and officially welcome Jeff Zients back to the White House in this role
East Room
Pooled for TV and Open to Pre-Credentialed Media (Gather 4:45 PM – Palm Room Doors) [RSVP here by 7:00 AM]

Briefing Schedule

2:00 PM Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

In-Town Pool Report #3: Gather

Pool is now gathering ahead of President's meeting with his Competition Council.

In-Town Pool Report #4: Competition Council attendees

According to the White House, the following officials will be in attendance:

• Merrick Garland, Attorney General
• Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
• Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation
• Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
• Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
• Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense
• Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce
• Julie Su, Deputy Secretary of Labor
• Richard Revesz, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
• Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Marty Oberman, Chair of the Surface Transportation Board
• Daniel Maffei, Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission
• Rostin Behnam, Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (virtual)
• Jessica Rosenworcel, Chair of the Federal Communications Commission
• Gary Gensler, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission
• Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council

In-Town Pool Report #5: Council meeting

Pool was led into the East Room at 1:19 pm, at which point the president began his prefatory remarks. He finished speaking at 1:26 pm.

The president's remarks can be viewed here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gHFeI8s8-bM

In-Town Pool Report #6: Pool ushered out

Pool was ushered out of the East Room at 1:29 pm. Questions were shouted at the president. They were not answered.

In-Town Pool Report #7: Update to schedule, with new item

From the White House:

"Ian Sams from the White House Counsel's Office will go to the sticks at 2pm. The press briefing will begin at 2:30pm."

In-Town Pool Report #8: Two minute warning

To Ian Sams gaggle outside the West Wing.

In-Town Pool Report #9: Ian Sams gaggle

Began at 2:05 pm.

In-Town Pool Report #10: Gaggle concludes

Ian Sams finished speaking at 2:16 pm.

Excerpts from his remarks and answers forthcoming.

In-Town Pool Report #11: Ian Sams redux

Wanted to flag a tweet from my colleague James Rosen that provides extra context into today's gaggle:

https://twitter.com/jamesrosentv/status/1620872112805380097?s=46&t=iy7OV...

In-Town Pool Report #12: Ian Sams excerpts

"You saw in the statement that was released by the President's personal attorney, for example, that no documents with classified markings were found in Rehoboth today."

"We've been fully cooperative. The president's been fully cooperative."

"We've been working directly with the Justice Department from the very beginning."

On whether there could be more documents: ""The Justice Department is engaged in an ongoing investigation."

On House Oversight: "We're engaging in good faith with them...we'll be cooperating in good faith with legitimate oversight."

In-Town Pool Report #13: Two minute warning for press briefing

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

In-Town Pool Report #14: Briefing over

The press briefing ended at 3:46 pm.

Details on the Biden-McCarthy meeting are forthcoming.

In-Town Pool Report #15: McCarthy-Biden

According to the White House, the two began their meeting at 3:17 pm.

In-Town Pool Report #16: McCarthy headed to the sticks

Speaker McCarthy is about to speak with reporters outside the West Wing.

In-Town Pool Report #17: McCarthy gaggle concluded

At 4:55 pm.

Excerpts coming

In-Town Pool Report #18: Gathering

For chief-of-staff event.

In-Town Pool Report #19: Klain/Zients

Pool was led into the East Room, where the festivities are taking place, at 5:12 pm.

In-Town Pool Report #20: event begins

Biden, Klain and Zients have entered the East Room to sustained applause

In-Town Pool Report #21: Event details

From the White House:

The President hosts an official transition event to thank Chief of Staff Ron Klain for his tireless work and officially welcome Jeff Zients back to the White House in this role.

In attendance:

• Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State
• Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury
• Secretary Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior
• Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
• Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce
• Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation
• Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education
• Dennis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security
• Michael Regan, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
• Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative
• Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Ambassador to the United Nations
• Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
• Isabel Guzman, Administrator of Small Business Administration
• Arati Prabhakar, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy

  Run of Show

  The President
  Ron Klain
  Jeff Zients

In-Town Pool Report #22: Biden finishes speaking

The president concluded his remarks at 5:36 pm.

Those remarks can be found here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QTDUiR1znRE

In-Town Pool Report #23: Event concludes

The chief of staff event concluded at 5:50 pm, at which point the pool was led out of the East Room.

In-Town Pool Report #24: Lid called

Lid has been called.

An eventful day at the White House thus concludes.

In-Town Pool Report #25: McCarthy quotes

The following quotes from Speaker McCarthy's gaggle outside the West Wing earlier this afternoon following his meeting with President Biden on the debt ceiling:

"The president and I had a good first meeting."

"The greatest threat to America is our debt."

"We've got a lot of revenue. We just have a spending problem."

"I've just walked out having an hour conversation with this president that I tell you in perspective was a good conversation. No agreements, no promises except we will continue this conversation."

"The Republicans are very united" [in wanting to curb spending]...But we're all Americans. And we all have to work together.