State Dept. Denies Kerry Was On Yacht During Egyptian President's Ouster
BOSTON (CBS) – The State Department is denying a report that Secretary of State John Kerry spent the day on his yacht in Nantucket as Egypt's military ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
CBS This Morning senior producer in Washington Mosheh Oinounou tweeted a photo of the "Isabel" and reported that a producer had spotted Kerry on board Wednesday.
A @CBSThisMorning producer just spotted Secretary of State Kerry on yacht in the Nantucket Boat Basin. No response when she shouted "Morsi"
— Mosheh Oinounou (@Mosheh) July 3, 2013
Secretary Kerry was aboard his yacht, the "Isabel" this afternoon pic.twitter.com/R6v1UDFNGu
— Mosheh Oinounou (@Mosheh) July 3, 2013
Kerry spokesperson Jen Psaki denied the report.
"Since his plane touched down in Washington at 4 am, Secretary Kerry was working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis in Egypt," Psaki said in a statement.
Kerry was absent from a White House photo showing President Obama meeting with members of his national security team to discuss the situation in Egypt, but Psaki said he had dialed in on a secure phone line for that meeting.
"He participated in the White House meeting with the President by secure phone and was and is in non-stop contact with foreign leaders, and his senior team in Washington and Cairo."
Earlier a State Department spokesperson said she could not comment on Kerry's whereabouts on Wednesday, but said Kerry is kept in the loop on all the latest developments.
"The secretary's department is in touch with officials regarding the developments in Egypt at all levels at all times," State Department Press Secretary Beth Gosselin said in a statement.
The State Department has ordered all nonessential U.S. diplomats and the families of all American Embassy personnel to leave Egypt in anticipation of potential violence.
