Oct 18, 2011 10:00am

Mystery Theft: Did Someone Steal the President’s Teleprompter?

gty obama teleprompter cc 111018 wblog Mystery Theft: Did Someone Steal the Presidents Teleprompter?

Jewel Samad/Getty Images

The White House is refusing to comment on the reported theft of a truck full of presidential equipment bound for the final stop of the current bus tour. And the military, which handles the bullet proof podium and safeguards the presidential seal placed on the front, will only tell ABC News that no classified or sensitive material is involved in this mysterious episode.

The unmarked white truck reportedly went missing from the parking lot of a Marriott hotel in Richmond, Virginia, but apparently turned up later at a Holiday Inn Express near the airport, as first reported by WWBT News in Richmond.  The tv station reports the parking lot there was roped off with police tape.

What is not clear from the cryptic comments on the record from the military spokesperson who refused to give her name, or from the White House press office, is whether a truck was actually stolen and what was really inside.  The White House Communications Agency, a military operation, is in charge of the audio equipment for every presidential event, the heavy lectern, and the all-important teleprompters which President Obama uses for almost all of his public remarks.

But something happened and the Defense Information Systems Agency spokesperson tells ABC News “We take incidents such as this very seriously and a formal investigation is continuing.”

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User Comments

Scrape Metal thieves or Republicans, At least someone stands to profit from
the Presidents job bill.

Posted by: deadwrestler | October 18, 2011, 10:08 am 10:08 am

You can probably find it in Las Vegas tomorrow.

Posted by: howdymo1 | October 18, 2011, 10:18 am 10:18 am

14,800,000 articles on Google about it. Deny! Deny!

Posted by: deadwrestler | October 18, 2011, 10:19 am 10:19 am

Obama SPEECHLESS.. whines I AM LOST without my teleprompter LMAO

Posted by: The Bogus President | October 18, 2011, 10:24 am 10:24 am

I’d love to see Obama deliver a speech without his teleprompter! Uhm, ah, it’s like, uh, well, er…

ROFL

Posted by: Erik | October 18, 2011, 10:29 am 10:29 am

Give it back, this man cannot make yet another speech of lies without it.

Posted by: specialty57 | October 18, 2011, 10:32 am 10:32 am

Eric 10:29 AM); He has. It’s failed a couple times. It’s like a different person is up there. Rather stunning to see.

Posted by: newcountryman | October 18, 2011, 10:33 am 10:33 am

Now thats funny.

Posted by: Lizzie | October 18, 2011, 10:38 am 10:38 am

Um, he has delivered a speech without a teleprompter. Conservatives are too funny. LOL

Posted by: Sandy | October 18, 2011, 10:41 am 10:41 am

And we want the govt in charge of our health care and records and lives………………classic.

Posted by: Sharon Gray | October 18, 2011, 10:42 am 10:42 am

Some one should put in the teleprompter that the CBO said to stop spending money and do not raise taxes. Why is he out there campaigning on taxpayer backs when he has millions in donations? Listen to the speeches, that is campaigning!

Posted by: Freedom | October 18, 2011, 10:50 am 10:50 am

I’m still wondering what ever happened to George W’s hooked on phonics flash cards.

Posted by: howdymo1 | October 18, 2011, 11:05 am 11:05 am

“I’m still wondering what ever happened to George W’s hooked on phonics flash cards.”

Obama traded them for the Stuttering Demagoguery series.

Posted by: foggy | October 18, 2011, 11:13 am 11:13 am

Oh no!! What will Obama do without his teleprompter? I guess he’s quick enough to continue demonizing everyone opposing his Jobs Plan and every other flawed piece of legislation he has half-baked and forced on us, but his other talking points are lost until they find him another telepromter.

Posted by: Gunner_1959 | October 18, 2011, 11:33 am 11:33 am

Upon hearing the news, Obama was overheard to say, “I’m speechless!”

Posted by: newcountryman | October 18, 2011, 11:47 am 11:47 am

I understand both the Democrats and the Republicans have offered a reward for the teleprompter. The Democrats have pledged to suspend any Immigration investigations pending against the thief if they return the teleprompter before Obama’s next thinly disguised campaign speech, while the Republicans have offered a job for life with the Koch Brothers to anyone providing proof the teleprompter has been destroyed.

Posted by: BubblerDad | October 18, 2011, 11:48 am 11:48 am

A ransom note has been received. It says

Pass This Bill Or The Teleprompter Gets It.
PS. Don’t call my bluff.

Posted by: foggy | October 18, 2011, 11:55 am 11:55 am

Great! obama can’t talk about his lies and deceit! OH! and obama is not campaigning! Yea right, on taxpayer expense!

Posted by: th | October 18, 2011, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm

Obama will be totally lost, without his teleprompter.

Posted by: Rick McDaniel | October 18, 2011, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm

The teleprompter has given up on that loser and was trying to make a break for it. It was hiding out and resting up at the Holiday Inn Express and was planning on hopping a plane at the airport in order to high-tail it from the big ’0′ who is damaging the teleprompter’s reputation.

Posted by: TexBork | October 18, 2011, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm

The White House declined to comment on the fact that their teleprompters were stolen.

Probably because their teleprompters were stolen?
Coincidence?

Posted by: Eric | October 18, 2011, 12:21 pm 12:21 pm

More interesting is the news that Claire McCaskill,the Democratic senator from Missouri,has successfully lost 50 lbs !!!

Posted by: Jabli Izvesti | October 18, 2011, 12:32 pm 12:32 pm

This right wing attack on the President’s teleprompter is an absolute joke. Give me a break. Does anyone here really believe there is a politician alive that does not read speeches from some sort of prompter? Have you EVER seen Bush, Clinton or even Rush Limbaugh deliver a speech without a written document on the podium in front of them? NO! Hell, Palin couldn’t get through a Q&A session without notes written on her hand like an eighth grader. Conservative crazies don’t like the fact that our current President prefers to use current technology and the reality is most of the GOP candidates current or past likely have no clue how to even use a blackberry. Give John McCain an iPad and his head would likely explode. President Obama is an excellent orator which in point of fact is part of his strong appeal. It’s a nice change to have a President that doesn’t look like a fool to the world at the podium. God help us if we end up with a dullard like Mitt Romney or another idiot like the Bush retread.

Posted by: dan | October 18, 2011, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm

Someone took TOTUS (Teleprompter of the United States)???!?!?!?!

Will there be a prisoner swap?

Posted by: Denbo | October 18, 2011, 12:56 pm 12:56 pm

Relax..its probably on loan to the occupy movement…

Posted by: ALLEN | October 18, 2011, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm

“More interesting is the news that Claire McCaskill,the Democratic senator from Missouri,has successfully lost 50 lbs !!!”

McCaskill lost an additional 150 lbs when she threw Barry under the bus.

Posted by: foggy | October 18, 2011, 1:14 pm 1:14 pm

This right wing attack on the President’s teleprompter is an absolute joke. Posted by: dan | October 18, 2011, 12:49 pm.

Aww, cut ‘em some slack. It’s all they know how to do. They’re like infants. Their bumper-sticker mentality combined with the attention span of a flea produces people who make fun of a president using a speaking aid. They would rather he write on his hand, like you-know-who did. Never mind that all politicians on both sides of the aisle use them whenever they can, to facilitate keeping their thoughts organized and to help them deliver a cogent and coherent speech. That doesn’t matter to the children on the Right. An article like this kinda acts like a pacifier for them……….

Posted by: Searambler | October 18, 2011, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm

This is another example of the media making a story out of nothing. If you have extra time on your hand, investigate the reason behind the republicans refusal to support the jobs bill and help get people back to work.

Posted by: Maebug | October 18, 2011, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm

George W Bush was once asked what his favorite childhood book was and his reply was “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. The book was published one year AFTER he graduated from Yale. True story, true response. Now we all know why his cabinet members took turns reading him his daily briefings. Maybe this is why his mother was such an advocate of reading programs for children and maybe this is why George married a librarian.

Posted by: howdymo1 | October 18, 2011, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm

Oh come on Democrats…let’s have a little fun for once.

Posted by: newcountryman | October 18, 2011, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm

An article like this kinda acts like a pacifier for them……….

Posted by: Searambler | October 18, 2011, 1:15 pm++Kinda like the children on the left concerning Palin articles

Posted by: jack | October 18, 2011, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm

I wonder why no one wants to admit that they support Barry because their livelihood requires big government.

Posted by: foggy | October 18, 2011, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm

foggy – in your “own” words. What exactly is “big government”? I’m betting you really don’t have a clue.

Posted by: dan | October 18, 2011, 2:13 pm 2:13 pm

“Kinda like the children on the left concerning Palin articles”.

Who?

Posted by: Searambler | October 18, 2011, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm

good no more speeches

Posted by: jimmy the greek | October 18, 2011, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm

@dan

California is big government. Exactly.

Why won’t you admit that the government is the source of your income?

Posted by: foggy | October 18, 2011, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm

Funniest thing that has happened in a long time.

Posted by: wheresmymoney | October 18, 2011, 3:28 pm 3:28 pm

Oh no! How’s the Prez going to speak.. Maybe George Soros who has his hand up (Puppet Master).

Posted by: william | October 18, 2011, 6:04 pm 6:04 pm

I’m glad to be here in the 57th state!!!!! I hope you remember what the Prez once said about words. “Words, just words.” Hmmm, love that old song “Smiling Faces.” Smiling faces sometimes
They don’t tell the truth..Beware, beware of the handshake…..

Posted by: william | October 18, 2011, 6:20 pm 6:20 pm

If the Teleprompter Of The United States has gone AWOL does that mean Biden becomes President?

Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | October 18, 2011, 8:54 pm 8:54 pm

I guess if they can’t find the Teleprompter then that speech oBama has planned in front of that 5th grade class will have to be canceled.

Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | October 18, 2011, 9:07 pm 9:07 pm

Barack Obama is one of the most articulate Presidents we have ever had. That bothers some of his political opponents, who have resorted to alleging that he is dependent upon a Teleprompter. While most presidents — as well as many other media speakers — do use Teleprompters, President Obama is capable of, and makes, many statements without one.

Posted by: Grannybunny | October 19, 2011, 11:24 am 11:24 am

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