It was another disastrous White House press briefing on Tuesday, as Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled mightily to answer reporters’ questions about what happened in Joe Biden’s growing classified documents scandal.
Zeke Miller of the Associated Press asked the press secretary how there were more documents discovered after Jean-Pierre had claimed that the document search had been concluded and that no additional classified materials were found.
“Look, I understand your question. We have addressed multiple questions from here,” a busted Jean-Pierre replied. “I’m going to let this ongoing review that is happening, this legal process that is happening, and let that process continue under the Special Counsel. I’m not going to comment from here, I’m not — one of the things that we have said for the last two years when it comes to department of justice, when it comes to legal matters, legal issues, we have been very clear that we are not going to comment, we are not going to politically interfere, and that continues with this legal issue.”
ABC’s Cecilia Vega then asked the press secretary if she wasn’t aware at the time she made the statement that Biden’s lawyers were actually in the process of searching for more documents.
“Did you not know on Friday that those documents had been found when you were at the podium, or are you being directed by someone to not be forthcoming on this issue?” Vega asked.
“I have been forthcoming from this podium,” Jean-Pierre insisted. “What I said ‘yes’ to is what the statement at the time that we all had, right? You all had the statement and I was repeating what the counsel was sharing at that time.”
The press continued asking question after question, with a frustrated Jean-Pierre at one point saying, “I literally just answered that question.”
She repeatedly referred questions to the DOJ while also insisting that she was giving the best information she had at the time.
But CBS’ Weijia Jiang kept pressing her on what she knew and when she knew it, as well as how the White House could claim that it’s staying out of the investigation if Biden’s lawyers are leading the search for documents.
“Again, they have been working very closely with the Department of Justice,” a fed-up Jean-Pierre said. “I would refer you to them. If you want to know specifically about their actions, specifically about what they are doing, I would point you to the White House Counsel’s office. Look, guys, you guys can ask me this 100 times, 200 times if you wish. I’m going to keep saying the same thing. I hear your question, it’s been asked, it’s been answered, it’s been noted, and we’re just gonna try to move on here.”
The meeting ended on a feisty note.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Jean-Pierre said.
“You told us something six times that turned out to be false. Are you sorry about that?” a reporter asked as the press secretary gathered her notes.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Come talk to me,” she answered sarcastically.
Q: “Why is it the matter of this White House counsel to deal with documents from two administrations ago? … Why is this White House counsel involved in this matter at all?”
Karine Jean-Pierre: “This is something for the White House counsel to address.”
Q: “Why, then, did the White House counsel go to Wilmington to facilitate the handing over of documents to the DOJ? How is that separating the White House from the DOJ?”
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Call the counsel’s office
Karine Jean-Pierre won’t say if Biden himself is rummaging through his home for improperly stored classified documents.
Karine Jean-Pierre says Americans shouldn’t be outraged that classified documents were found in Biden’s garage because Biden “said that he didn’t know” and “said that he takes classified information and documents very, very seriously.”
Q: “You stood here though and were asked about this documents issue by our count some 18 times…Did you not know on Friday that those docs had been found…or are you being directed by someone to not be forthcoming?”
Jean-Pierre: “I was repeating what the counsel was sharing.”
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Joe Biden has kept his word to the BLM crowd. He hired the FIRST black female openly gay press secretary. What a shining moment. She is the best and brightest that the democrats have to offer.