President Biden’s campaign is facing criticism for sending pre-approved questions to radio hosts ahead of interviews, after radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders revealed on CNN that the president’s team provided a list of questions for approval prior to her interview with Biden on Wednesday.

CNN host Victor Blackwell noted that the questions were “essentially the same” in both interviews, focusing on Biden’s accomplishments, debate performance, progress in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and what he would say to voters considering not voting in the presidential election.

“The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them,” Sanders said. “I got several questions, eight of them, and the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”

Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt defended the practice, saying, “It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans.”

However, Blackwell questioned whether sending pre-approved questions helps prove the president’s point that he is capable of doing the job. “If the White House is trying now to prove the vim, vigor, acuity of the president, I don’t know how they do that by sending questions first before the interview so that the president knows what’s coming,” Blackwell said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)