State Dept. Does About-Face, Admits Kerry Was 'Briefly' On Yacht In Nantucket
BOSTON (CBS) -- The State Department admitted Friday that Secretary of State John Kerry was "briefly" on his yacht in Nantucket Wednesday, 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.
Kerry spokesperson Jen Psaki denied the report and wanted CBS to issue a correction.
"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.
The Boston Herald later reported Kerry, who owns a house and a yacht on the island, was seen at July Fourth festivities on Main Street in jeans and a light-colored polo shirt.
On Friday, Psaki conceded.
"While he was briefly on his boat on Wednesday, Secretary Kerry worked around the clock all day," Psaki told CBS' Jan Crawford.
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.
In 2010, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee was dogged by charges of tax evasion, after media reports surfaced about his decision to dock the Isabel in Newport, R.I.
Doing so spared Kerry a $437,500 one-times sales tax charge in Massachusetts, as well as about $70,000 in annual excise taxes.
