After retiring from the Navy as a rear admiral in 2015, John Kirby became the spokesman for the Obama State Department, which led to him to getting a job at CNN as an analyst during the Trump presidency. Now that a Democrat is back in charge, Kirby has gone through the revolving door once more to once again become press secretary at the Pentagon, a position he held while still in uniform in 2013.
It can be confusing to keep track of liberals and liberals in the media. There's so much overlap. On Monday, Kirby joined Andrea Mitchell for her afternoon show where he was asked tough questions such as, will he, unlike Trump, be as truthful as his predecessor at the State Department and fellow ex-CNN analyst Jen Psaki?
Concluding her interview with Kirby, Mitchell highlighted the differences she sees between the Trump and Biden press secretaries, "I'm going to put you on the spot but I think I know the answer, it's not a hard question. We've seen the extraordinary difference Jen Psaki, as White House press secretary brought to the White House, first of all there are briefings. Second, they're rooted in truth and not confrontation when people are just asking questions."
Throughout Kirby could be seen nodding in agreement and attempting to prevent himself from laughing. Maybe the reason why they are non-confrontation is because they've been loaded with similar softballs.
Mitchell continued her question, such as it was, while praising Kirby for his tenure at the State Department, "But the White House at least had travel pools and access to the president. There has not been at the Pentagon for the last four years and certainly not the State Department. Are you committed to being open and accessible and having briefings for my colleagues over at the Pentagon, as you did at the State Department when you're the leader there?"
Kirby responded, "That’s right, a hundred percent. General Austin made it very clear he expects us to be transparent, to be accountable and be accessible to the press corps that covers this building as well as reporters all around the world."
After some more praise for the Pentagon press corps, Mitchell told her guest "You're off to a great start, John Kirby. Thank you for coming to us day one."
Mitchell's lack of challenging questions and praise for Kirby were made possible by Kirby's history of being a reliable member of the liberal media over the past four years. During that time, he said that a Trump's desire for a 4th of July military parade was simply about his ego and described his 2017 address to the United Nations as "very absent of any of the normal universal values and mutual cooperation that we try to seek in these international bodies."
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Here is a transcript for the January 25 show:
MSNBC
Andrea Mitchell Reports
12:42 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: I'm going to put you on the spot but I think I know the answer, it's not a hard question. We've seen the extraordinary difference Jen Psaki, as White House press secretary brought to the White House, first of all there are briefings. Second, they're rooted in truth and not confrontation when people are just asking questions. But the White House at least had travel pools and access to the president. There has not been at the Pentagon for the last four years and certainly not the State Department. Are you committed to being open and accessible and having briefings for my colleagues over at the Pentagon, as you did at the State Department when you're the leader there?
JOHN KIRBY: That’s right, a hundred percent. General Austin made it very clear he expects us to be transparent, to be accountable and be accessible to the press corps that covers this building as well as reporters all around the world. You can see us. Hopefully I'll be getting up to the podium pretty soon. I just have to get a few days to get up to speed on things but we're absolutely 100% committed to being completely transparent and accessible and honest with the men and women of the press corps who cover this building.
MITCHELL: And it's a terrific press corps, as I can attest, from knowing my colleagues and those and other agencies.
KIRBY: Absolutely are.
MITCHELL: You're off to a great start, John Kirby. Thank you for coming to us day one.
KIRBY: Thank you, Andrea. Good to be with you, thank you.
