Aide Scolded After Powell Blips Off

WASHINGTON —  Secretary of State Colin L. Powell chastised a press aide for trying to cut short the taping of a television interview Sunday.

Powell, speaking from a Dead Sea resort in Jordan, was listening to a final question from moderator Tim Russert, who was in the Washington studio of NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

In the broadcast, aired several hours after the interview, Powell abruptly disappears from view. Briefly seen are swaying palm trees and the water, backdrops for the interview. Powell can be heard saying to the aide, “He’s still asking a question.”

NBC identified the aide as Emily Miller, a deputy press secretary. The State Department would not confirm that.

With the cameras still on the water, Powell snapped, “Emily, get out of the way.” He instructed the crew to “bring the camera back” and told Russert to go ahead with the question.

After Powell answered, Russert thanked the secretary for his “willingness to overrule his press aide’s attempt to abruptly cut off our discussion.”

State Department spokeswoman Julie Reside said Powell had scheduled five interviews and NBC went over the agreed-upon time limit.

The executive producer of “Meet the Press,” Betsy Fischer, said that Powell was 45 minutes late for the interview and that “everyone’s satellite schedules already had to be rescheduled.”