Despite Visit to Yacht, John Kerry Focused on Situation in Egypt
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JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — There have been headlines about Secretary of State John Kerry being on his yacht in Nantucket while the first democratically-elected president of Egypt was being overthrown.
But on Friday, the State Department sought to clarify that while Kerry was “briefly” on his yacht and was currently in Nantucket, he has been working non-stop on Egypt from the Massachusetts hide-away.
On Wednesday, reporters spotted Kerry boarding his boat the same day Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi was being toppled by the Egyptian military following days of protests.
When asked about Kerry’s whereabouts, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki issued a statement referring to Kerry’s return from his whirlwind 12-day trip to the Middle East and Asia, and his new focus on Egypt.
“Since his plane touched down in Washington at 4 a.m., Secretary Kerry was working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis in Egypt,” Psaki said.
On Friday, however, Psaki further clarified Kerry’s whereabouts and activities, issuing a statement acknowledging that Kerry did, in fact, spend time on his yacht, but insisting that he has been fully engaged in dealing with the events in Egypt.
“While he was briefly on his boat on Wednesday, Secretary Kerry worked around the clock all day,” said Psaki, who highlighted the telephone calls Kerry made while in Nantucket, including five made to the U.S. ambassador to Egypt, Anne Patterson. She also confirmed that Kerry participated in the president’s National Security Council meeting on Wednesday and again on Thursday by telephone.
A senior State Department official told ABC News that none of the calls Kerry made on Wednesday were from his yacht.
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