White House press spokesman Scott McClellan has struggled to explain to the Washington press corps why it took a day to reveal that Dick Cheney had accidentally shot a fellow quail hunter in the face
QUESTION Why didn’t we hear about it for 24 hours?
MR McCLELLAN I think the first priority was making sure that Mr Whittington was getting the medical care that he needed. And I know that the Vice-President’s Office worked with Mrs Armstrong to get that information out, as well. My understanding is Mrs Armstrong contacted the local paper early Sunday morning.
Q You and the press duty officer don’t administer medical treatment. So why couldn’t the press office have alerted us Saturday night, when you guys found out?
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McCLELLAN Well, the Vice-President’s Office was working to get that information out, and they got it out Sunday morning through Mrs Armstrong.
Q Well, why the wait?
McCLELLAN Well, I think they wanted to make sure that he was getting the care he needed. And then I mean, they proactively worked to get it out . . .
Q Well, I mean, you know, you can certainly make sure he’s getting the care and tell us, too.
McCLELLAN And they worked to get it out.
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Q The Vice-President shoots somebody accidentally and you don’t — and you know this Saturday night and you don’t think that you should alert us to this? . . . We didn’t know for nearly 24 hours.
McCLELLAN That’s not correct. Sunday morning . . .
Q When I’m asking you a serious question, you should give us a serious answer . . .
McCLELLAN You don’t have to yell.
Q . . . instead of jerking us around.
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McCLELLAN You don’t have to yell.
Q . . . it is you made a decision, when you knew Saturday night, not to inform the press corps? Why you left it for the Vice-President’s Office through a ranch owner to tell local media and not the White House press corps?
McCLELLAN I think they worked to get it out, and they worked to get it out as soon as they could
Q Promptly?
McCLELLAN I think as soon as possible. But the first priority needs to be on making sure that they’re receiving medical care.
Q The ambulance got there, the Secret Service were working, he had many doctors with him.
McCLELLAN That’s right.
Q So that was taken care of. The question of informing the press and the American people is another subject