Once again, the first half of Wednesday’s White House press briefing featured National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby to serve as a crutch for incompetent White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Yet even during what WMAL radio talk show host Vince Coglianese referred to as “the grownup press briefing” there was at least one noteworthy moment.
This came from Fox Business correspondent Grady Trimble who pointed out how the Biden administration seems to be talking out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to the dangers of the Chinese spyware app TikTok.
Trimble simply asked Kirby if Biden sees TikTok as a national security threat, “why then did the President agree to appear in TikTok videos as recently as, I think, St. Patrick’s Day?”
Kirby dodged the best he could and explained “we have not changed our national security concerns about the app” and “it’s not for use on government devices.”
Once Kirby was gone and the children’s version of the briefing began with the inept Jean-Pierre, things got more interesting.
First up was the Associated Press’s Aamer Madhani who wanted Jean-Pierre to weigh in once again on Florida Republican Ron DeSantis’s anti-grooming legislation.
“Do you have any reaction on Florida Governor DeSantis expanding the rules that forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity?” Madhani asked.
Jean-Pierre melted down in response and cried that “it’s completely, utterly wrong” to prevent teachers from talking about their sex lives with school children.
“This is a part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we’re seeing across the country of legislations that are anti-LGBTQI+, anti-trans, anti the community in a way that we have not seen it in some time,” Jean-Pierre huffed.
Next came the most pathetic moment of the entire briefing, when USA Today reporter Rebecca Morin (who has pronouns in her Twitter bio) tattled on Texas Governor Greg Abbott and basically begged the Justice Department to sue him for daring to secure his state’s border:
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has installed more than 130 miles of razor wire on federal land in the Rio — in the Rio Grande canal. Abbott didn’t seek the required permits to do this and has kind of — and doubled down on — yesterday on Twitter, saying that they are not going to ask permission to do this. Does the administration plan to sue Texas, like they did in Arizona over former Governor Doug Ducey’s makeshift border barrier?
Jean-Pierre, as usual, dodged and said “that’s a question for the Department of Justice” before switching to attack mode and accusing Abbott’s solution to Biden’s border crisis as “another political stunt.”
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for: “Doocy Time” (as NewsBusters’ Curtis Houck has coined).
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy didn’t waste time. He asked the most important question of the day which was regarding the Biden crime family’s mounting scandals: “House Oversight says they’ve got bank records showing a Chinese energy company paying three Biden family members through a third party. What were they paid for?”
Jean-Pierre played dumb and demurred, “I don’t even where to begin to even answer that question because, again, it’s been lies and lies and inaccuracy for the past couple years.”
Doocy moved on and asked about the deteriorating relationship between the United States and China: “Xi told Putin at their meeting, ‘Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years. And we are driving this change together.’ What do you think that means?”
Again, Jean-Pierre had no answer. “You would have to ask them,” she replied.
Doocy gave it one last attempt to get some form of a coherent answer out of Jean-Pierre: “President Biden said: ‘To lower inflation, we should trust the Fed.’ Now the Fed is saying that rate hikes won’t be enough to quell inflation. Why does he still trust the Fed?”
“They’re an independent agency,” she responded. “He [Biden] wants to make sure they have the space to make these monetary decisions. We are not going to interfere. We are not going to get involved. And I’m certainly not going to comment.”
The relevant transcript from the March 22 press briefing is below. Click “expand” to read:
White House Press Briefing
3/22/2023
3:46:01 p.m. EasternGRADY TRIMBLE (FOX BUSINESS): I wanted to follow up on TikTok. Obviously, you’ve expressed again today the national security concerns with the app. Why then did the President agree to appear in TikTok videos as recently as, I think, St. Patrick’s Day?
JOHN KIRBY: Again, we have not changed our national security concerns about the app. It’s not on — it’s not for use on government devices. And I don’t have anything more for you on that.
TRIMBLE: But does it send the wrong message if the administration is weighing a ban or could in the future have to weigh a ban?
KIRBY: We have been very consistent about our concerns over TikTok. There’s a CFIUS review underway. I know you want me to tell you more about this, but I’m just not going to get ahead of that.
[...]
3:50:25 p.m. Eastern
AAMER MADHANI (AP): Do you have any reaction on Florida Governor DeSantis expanding the rules that forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity?
JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. It’s wrong. It’s completely, utterly wrong. And — and we’ve been very cry- — crystal clear about that, when it comes to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and other — other actions that this governor has taken in the state of Florida.
But make no mistake: This is a part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we’re seeing across the country of legislations that are anti-LGBTQI+, anti-trans, anti the community in a way that we have not seen it in some time. And so — and it’s not just the LGBTQI+ community. We’re talking about students. We’re talking about educators. We’re talking about, just, individuals.
And so, the President has been very clear, this administration has been very clear: We will continue to fight for the dignity of — of Americans, for the dignity and respect of the community, of opportunity that should be given to students and families in Florida and across the country. So, again, this is just plain wrong, and we’re going to continue to speak against — speak out against it.
[...]
4:07:56 p.m. Eastern
REBECCA MORIN (USA TODAY): So, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has installed more than 130 miles of razor wire on federal land in the Rio — in the Rio Grande canal. Abbott didn’t seek the required permits to do this and has kind of — and doubled down on — yesterday on Twitter, saying that they are not going to ask permission to do this. Does the administration plan to sue Texas, like they did in Arizona over former Governor Doug Ducey’s makeshift border barrier?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: That’s a question for the Department of Justice. I don’t have anything to share here. But more broadly on — on the governor in Texas, these — this is another political stunt that we’ve seen from him over and over again. Inste- — instead of dealing with an issue in a way that can actually have results, he continues to have political — do these political stunts. And it’s unfortunate because what it’s going to do is actually hurt the communities that he is supposed to represent.
And this is a President that has — when it comes to working to secure the border, dealing with a real issue, he’s taken actions. He catched — he’s catched record levels of fentanyl because of the work that he’s done, because of the record levels of funding. We support 23,000 agents, the most ever working to secure the border. And we taken — we take more than 8,000 smugglers off the street. We want solutions. We want real solutions that they are going to matter to the American people. And that’s not what Governor Abbott is all about.
[...]
4:12:47 p.m. Eastern
PETER DOOCY (FOX NEWS): House Oversight says they’ve got bank records showing a Chinese energy company paying three Biden family members through a third party. What were they paid for?
JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m — I’m just not going to respond to that from here. Look, we have heard from House Republicans for years and years and years how — how — the inaccuracies and lies when it comes to this issue. And I don’t even where to begin to even answer that question because, again, it’s been lies and lies and inaccuracy for the past couple years. And I’m just not going to get into it from here.
DOOCY: Okay. Xi told Putin at their meeting, “Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years. And we are driving this change together.” What do you think that means?
JEAN-PIERRE: You would have to ask them.
DOOCY: Okay. President Biden said: ‘To lower inflation, we should trust the Fed.’ Now the Fed is saying that rate hikes won’t be enough to quell inflation. Why does he still trust the Fed?
JEAN-PIERRE: They’re an independent agency. The President has always said that. He wants them to be independent. He wants to make sure they have the space to make these monetary decisions. We are not going to interfere. We are not going to get involved. And I’m certainly not going to comment.
