One of those questioners was Nathan Osburn, a former speechwriter in the Obama administration who worked in the Commerce Department's Office of Public Affairs and the Small Business Administration, which was first reported by Fox News. Osburn was identified as a "former Obama administration speech writer" when speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer about his support for failed presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg during the Democratic primary.
Osburn helped create the Philly for Pete group, which represented Buttigieg in a Philadelphia Pride parade and hosted his husband Chasten in the spring of 2019.
"I think he has strength in foreign policy, and I think he's going to actually be around for climate change, so I think he has a lot of credibility on climate change," Osburn said of Buttigieg in 2019, who later endorsed Biden for president. "He and Chasten both have student debt themselves, so I think they have a lot of credibility on that, too. And I think people are just really excited about his campaign."
The Victory Institute, an organization that says it is "dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders who can further equality at all levels of government," also listed Osburn as a "Senior Speechwriter" in the Obama Small Business Administration.
During the Biden town hall event, where Osburn's occupation was listed as "communications," he asked about Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court. After an exchange with Osburn, Biden again refused to answer whether or not he supports expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court.
Another questioner at the town hall event, Mieke Haeck, was identified by ABC as a "physical therapist" in Pennsylvania. Haeck is the wife of Ezra Nanes, a high-profile state Democrat who challenged the GOP state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman in 2018. According to Fox News, Nanes is an "at-large member of the Centre County Democratic Committee."
Nanes tweeted words of support after his wife asked about Biden's LGBT policies, invoking her transgender daughter. "Our children and I are so proud of our @MiekeHaeck for her courage in asking this question of @JoeBiden and so grateful to our next President for his caring and decisive answer in support of transgender and all LGBTQ people," Nanes wrote.
Earlier this month, the Washington Free Beacon reported that voters identified as "undecided" at a previous NBC town hall event with Biden already declared support for the Democratic nominee.
Comment: Many were surprised at how well Biden performed at the town hall (as in, he was actually able to answer questions without having a brain meltdown). Now we know why - prearranged questions from plants in the audience.
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