Along with PBS and NPR, there’s another taxpayer-funded outlet in the White House Briefing Room many Americans probably forget about: Voice of America. And why it matters is, in part, Wednesday’s briefing revealed how they’re just as far to the left as VOA reporter Anita Powell put a softball question about Pride Month on the tee for Press Secretary (and heralded lesbian) Karine Jean-Pierre.
Powell mentioned that Thursday would feature a Pride Month event at the White House, but fretted this would “provoke some political or politicized pushback, especially from, you know, some of the states that have passed legislation targeting sexual minorities or from countries that have done the same.”
In turn, Powell asked if she “could...just hear from you why does the White House feel that this event is important, especially in this context.”
Puketastic. Worthless media we have.
Of course, Jean-Pierre was eager to take the question, citing “multiple events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community” put on by an administration led by “strong all[ies]” in President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their spouses.
Jean-Pierre continued to wax poetic about how “they feel it’s important to lift up a community, to lift up their accomplishments and what they’ve been able to do for the community” as transgender children are being attacked by an “‘anti’-sentiment.”
Instead, she explained, trans kids and the rest of the LGBTQ+ world “need to be celebrated and continue to be celebrated, as he’s done many times before in this — in this past two years, but we also need to make sure that we let the community know that the President has their back and we’re going to continue to fight for them”.
“I think that is important to be able to bring a couple of thousand Americans here to the White House to let them know that this President is going to continue to fight for them. And that’s the message that we want to make sure that gets out there,” she concluded.
Elsewhere. Some reporters chose to actually show up to work and challenge Jena-Pierre
While Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich drew a no comment on a question about judicial precedent Hunter Biden’s legal team could employ if he’s indicted, her colleague Edward Lawrence at the Fox Business Network brought up the rise in retail theft and whether Biden finds that acceptable (click “expand”):
LAWRENCE: So, Walgreens unveiled a new look for their stores; they unveiled that in Chicago and it has basically everything locked up, in part because of the theft that they have seen. A recent study shows that 50 percent of retail workers have seen some sort of retail theft, and another nearly 50 percent are afraid to go to work, do is the President aware of retail theft? And how come the problem has become so persa — per — pervasive under his tenure?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, what I can tell you is: Unlike congressional Republicans, the President has taken action. He has taken action to deal with — with the crime, hiring police officers. We’ve — you’ve seen that from his actions that he’s taken to cut crime and he — and it started with the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan had billions of dollars that went into communities to hire police officers, to make sure that we held — we had accountability, as well, on the ground and let’s not forget his Safer American [sic] Plan to fund the police and invest in crime prevention. So, we have taken actions. We have made sure that we do everything that we can to try and protect communities and to make sure that police officers are hired and so, look, instead of Congress, you know, passing legislation or wanting to cut or defund the police, we’re doing the opposite and so we would love to work with Congress and see how else we can be helpful to communities. But the President has taken action — again, the American Rescue Plan, the Safer communities — Safer community — America Plan — and he’s going to continue to do what he can to make sure that we keep communities safe.
Right before Lawrence, Bloomberg’s Jenny Leonard resurrected a possible TikTok ban by wondering whether there’s been any movement. Of course, the ever-useless Jean-Pierre ducked.
And in the final exchange, CBS’s Ed O’Keefe took notice of how, throughout the briefing, Jean-Pierre dodged commenting on what’s essentially a merger between the PGA and the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour, but she had plenty to say about various bank mergers as well as when Elon Musk bought Twitter.
Jean-Pierre naturally insisted she wasn’t being a hypocrite or caving to the Saudis (click “expand”):
O’KEEFE: You said repeatedly here that the White House didn’t want to comment on a private entity. A quick search back through briefings in recent months finds that you commented on JPMorgan’s merger or purchase of First Republic and then you were asked last November about Elon Musk buying Twitter, saying: “We’re going to keep an eye on that decision”...Does the decision to not comment today have anything to do with the fact that the Secretary of State is in Saudi Arabia right now?
JEAN-PIERRE: No, not at all. Not at all. We’re just not going to comment on this and — and, look, I also said with the mer — the — the Elon Musk — I also said the same thing that I said today: is that we’re not going to comment on a private entity. I actually said those words, as we talked about Elon Musk and Twitter and so that’s going to continue. We’re not going to comment on this. We’re going to focus on the American people. We’re going to focus on — on what their needs...[T]hat’s the President’s focus right now...We just are not — not going to comment on — on any types of mergers...I also continued and said I’m just not going to comment on mergers or private entities.
To see the relevant transcript from the June 7 briefing, click “expand.”
White House press briefing [via ABC News Live]
June 7, 2023
2:05 p.m. EasternJENNY LEONARD: A couple of months ago, we were all talking about TikTok, and there was legislation put forward on the Hill that three months ago Jake Sullivan came out in support of, and then we haven’t really heard much since. Can you say whether you’re working at all with the Hill on making this become law? Are you working with the Senate, the House? Or have you sort of given up on any authority to restrict TikTok and other apps that you think are harmful?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, it — certainly this is important to the President, to the administration, this type of legislation that Jake talked about a couple of months ago. I don’t have an update for you. We are always in constant contact on different pieces of legislation with the House and the Senate. I just don’t have an update on where we are currently with this particular legislation. [TO LAWRENCE] Go ahead.
EDWARD LAWRENCE: Thanks, Karine. So, Walgreens unveiled a new look for their stores; they unveiled that in Chicago snd it has basically everything locked up, in part because of the theft that they have seen. A recent study shows that 50 percent of retail workers have seen some sort of retail theft, and another nearly 50 percent are afraid to go to work, do is the President aware of retail theft? And how come the problem has become so persa — per — pervasive under his tenure?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, what I can tell you is: Unlike congressional Republicans, the President has taken action. He has taken action to deal with — with the crime, hiring police officers. We’ve — you’ve seen that from his actions that he’s taken to cut crime and he — and it started with the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan had billions of dollars that went into communities to hire police officers, to make sure that we held — we had accountability, as well, on the ground and let’s not forget his Safer American [sic] Plan to fund the police and invest in crime prevention. So, we have taken actions. We have made sure that we do everything that we can to try and protect communities and to make sure that police officers are hired and so, look, instead of Congress, you know, passing legislation or wanting to cut or defund the police, we’re doing the opposite and so we would love to work with Congress and see how else we can be helpful to communities. But the President has taken action — again, the American Rescue Plan, the Safer communities — Safer community — America Plan — and he’s going to continue to do what he can to make sure that we keep communities safe.
(....)
2:18 p.m. Eastern
JACQUI HEINRICH: I know you won’t comment on the case involving the President’s son, but the President previously criticized the Supreme Court ruling that his legal team is preparing to use, should he be charged, as an affront to common sense and the Constitution. I just want to know if that statement from June of last year still holds or if he is viewing that ruling in a new light.
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m just not going to comment on this.
(....)
2:23 p.m. Eastern
ANITA POWELL: Moving on to the Pride event tomorrow. This is likely to provoke some political or politicized pushback, especially from, you know, some of the states that have passed legislation targeting sexual minorities or from countries that have done the same, so could I just hear from you why does the White House feel that this event is important, especially in this context?
JEAN-PIERRE: So we’ve had multiple events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Multiple. And this is a President that has been a strong ally; a Vice President that has been a strong ally; a Second Gentleman, a First Lady that has been a strong ally of the — of the community and it is important — he feels it is important, they feel it’s important to lift up a community, to lift up their accomplishments and what they’ve been able to do for the community. And so, we think it’s an important moment and let’s not forget what we’re seeing across the country from statehouses: more than 600 pieces of legislation, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. A few hundred of those are against transgender youth and so we have not seen that type of “anti” sentiment, anti — against this community in decades. And so, we believe that not only does this community need to be celebrated and continue to be celebrated, as he’s done many times before in this — in this past two years, but we also need to make sure that we let the community know that the President has their back and we’re going to continue to fight for them and so that is important and I think that is important to be able to bring a couple of thousand Americans here to the White House to let them know that this President is going to continue to fight for them. And that’s the message that we want to make sure that gets out there.
(....)
2:29 p.m. Eastern
ED O’KEEFE: Could I just clarify one thing, Karine? You said repeatedly here that the White House didn’t want to comment on a private entity. A quick search back through briefings in recent months finds that you commented on JPMorgan’s merger or purchase of First Republic and then you were asked last November about Elon Musk buying Twitter, saying: “We’re going to keep an eye on that decision.”
JEAN-PIERRE: And I —
O’KEEFE: Does the decision to not comment today have anything to do with the fact that the Secretary of State is in Saudi Arabia right now?
JEAN-PIERRE: No, not at all. Not at all. We’re just not going to comment on this and — and, look, I also said with the mer- — the — the Elon Musk — I also said the same thing that I said today: is that we’re not going to comment on a private entity. I actually said those words, as we talked about Elon Musk and Twitter and so that’s going to continue. We’re not going to comment on this. We’re going to focus on the American people. We’re going to focus on — on what their needs are as it relates to, you know, American families and as it relates to abroad and also the Middle East as well and so that’s the President’s focus right now, but I’ve always been very clear: We just are not — not going to comment on — on any types of mergers and I know you pulled out those — those specific things, but I also continued and said I’m just not going to comment on mergers or private entities.
