For White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, it must be quite a life knowing you’re never going to be sternly fact-checked (or fact-checked at all) by the liberal media. Thursday’s briefing displayed her refusal to live in world of facts and straightforward answers as she deflected questions from Fox News’s Peter Doocy about the Biden team’s infrastructure plan and border policies and repeatedly lied to Fox Business’s Edward Lawrence about Georgia’s voter law.
Doocy was the fourth reporter called on when he first touched on Biden’s Build Back Better plan and how “[h]e wants corporations to bear the brunt of the $2.5 trillion over eight years, but there are these calculations now that the corporate tax hike is not going to raise that much until 2036.”
“So, I'm curious where the rest of the money comes from,” he added.
After Psaki downplayed that concern by saying the costs would be made up over time, Doocy brought up the inconvenient truth that “only five percent of the spending in the package goes toward roads and bridges” and so it’s “curious” that it’s so “low in something that’s been sold as an infrastructure package.”
Psaki didn’t answer the question. Instead, she boasted of the plan expanding broadband internet to places without it, so this left Doocy to move onto immigration since Psaki was stonewalling.
Unfortunately, Doocy met more stonewalling as he sought a White House reaction to the viral video of smugglers lobbing two toddlers over a border wall and left them alone in the desert.
Doocy specifically wanted to know if the federal government has “considered beefing up border security,” but Psaki went personal by questioning whether Doocy was actually concerned about the safety of these children and then chiding his “line of questioning” (click “expand”):
PSAKI: I've — I’ve seen the video and I think any of us who saw the video were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers. Ones that we have been quite familiar with that we’ve spoken out about our concerns about. As Secretary Mayorkas said, “the inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents’ desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible.” The President certainly agrees with that and these kids, I believe, were rescued from — by — by individuals who were working at the border.
DOOCY: Yes, but they still got close enough. As you guys are talking about addressing root causes in the region, for a smuggler to throw them over a wall into the desert and I'm just curious what the White House is doing to stop that from happening.
PSAKI: In what — are you concerned more about the kids’ safety? Or are you concerned about kids getting in? Or tell me more about your concern here.
DOOCY: Kids safety is, as you’ve just mentioned, the main concern.
PSAKI: Well, of course it is, which is why I'm often surprised by some of the line of questioning in here. But I will say that our concern and our focus is on sending a clear message to smugglers — the region that this is not the time to come. You should not send your kids on this treacherous journey, that these smugglers are praying on vulnerabilities in these communities There are a lot of issues and steps we need to take to address root causes. So, of course, our concern is for the safety of these kids. These border patrol agents who save our kids deserve our — our thanks and gratitude for ensuring their safety.
Fast-forward roughly 20 minutes and Lawrence brought up the corporate boycotts of Georgia-owned business “like Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, in part from some of the information that’s come from the President” about the Peach State’s voting law.
Pointing out that “you’ve said and some others have said that words mater,” Lawrence went right to fact-checking by noting that Biden claimed in last Thursday’s press conference that the law moves voting to end as early as 5:00 p.m. despite the facts showing “the bill standardizes voting hours by counties and adds Saturdays and Sundays voting and it also allows extended hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.”
Lawrence asked if there’s “going to be a correction issued,” but Psaki had enough of these facts and had to change the conversation back to one based on lies, saying that “[i]t standardizes the ending of voting every day at five.”
This is embarrassing for the White House, but even The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler gave this claim four Pinocchios, noting that the Election Day voting is still seven to seven with early voting only set at a minimum of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the option to extend to that 12-hour window.
The FBN reporter reiterated it was seven to seven, but Psaki had more of her lies-ridden talking points to read off about absentee voting and the serving of food and water outside polling places: “It also makes it so that outside groups can't provide water or food to people in line, right? It makes it more difficult to absentee vote. Are those things all correct?”
On absentee voting, the law merely added the requirement of adding your driver’s license number (or state ID number) instead of a signature (with ID already required for in-person voting). Unless you’re Marc Elias and think that’s voter suppression because people aren’t smart enough to know where to find it (specifically that it’s DL No. near the top and middle of Georgia driver’s licenses), it’s not exactly Jim Crow 2.0.
Further, our friends at the Daily Caller noted that those without driver’s licenses can obtain state ID cards for free and those without ID in the state is less than two percent of the state’s population and three percent of registered Georgia voters.
And on food and drink, poll workers can still provide water and the law makes clear that such electioneering (or treating of the voters) is allowed as long as its outside of 150 feet from the polling place. Put simply, another Psaki fib.
Next, Lawrence again tried to tell Psaki that Election Day voting “is seven to seven and early voting can” be expanded to both Saturdays and Sundays before closing with a question about whether the White House’s “tone [is] going to change.”
An incensed Psaki had no use for Lawrence’s facts, claiming that these arguments coming from Governor Brian Kemp (R) are “not based in fact” because the law is voter suppression (click “expand”):
PSAKI: The tone for a bill that limits voting access and makes it more difficult for people to engage in voting in Georgia?
LAWRENCE: No, that’s not actually what the governor of Georgia has said.
PSAKI: Well, I think that is not based in fact with what the governor of Georgia has said. So, no, our tone is not changing. We have concerns about the specific components of the package, including the fact that it makes it harder and more difficult for people to vote by limiting absentee options, by making it not viable — not possible for people to provide water to people in line, by not standardizing longer hours. So, if you are making it harder to vote, no, we don't support that.
And if putting into law ballot drop boxes implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic, expanding local election authority, and still allowing ballots to be requested a week and a half before the election are racist barriers to voting, someone should check and see if that's akin to banning women from voting and implementing literacy tests and poll taxes.
Along with the reality that we’ve gone from the age of “Facts First” to facts are racist, talk radio host Erick Erickson left liberals incensed when he pointed out that the “Jim Crow 2.0 is a coordinated talking point,” down to how “[a] leftwing group tied to Stacey Abrams bought the website several weeks ago.”
In other words, the word of Abrams, Biden, Elias, Joy Reid, and Psaki has all but adopted the opposite of Ben Shapiro’s classic slogan: “Feelings don’t care about your facts.”
To see the relevant transcript from April 1's briefing, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing
April 1, 2021
1:59 p.m. EasternPETER DOOCY: You’ve just repeated what the President was talking about yesterday. He wants corporations to bear the brunt of the $2.5 trillion over eight years. But there are these calculations now that the corporate tax hike is not going to raise that much until 2036, so I'm curious where the rest of the money comes from.
JEN PSAKI: Well, as was outlined in detail in our plan, we’re talking about paying for an eight year investment over the course of 15 years. And that — given the investments — or short-term investments — investments that are temporary, we would more than make up for the cost of these investments over time.
DOOCY: And one of the most colorful examples that the President used yesterday: He asked if people remember the bridge going down, but only five percent of the spending in the package goes toward roads and bridges and I'm curious why that number is so low in something that’s been sold as an infrastructure package..
PSAKI: We’re actually selling it as a once in a century or once in a generation investment in partly our infrastructure, but partly industries of the future. American workers and the workforce — and there are areas like broadband, which maybe is not a physical bridge. But one third of the country doesn’t have access to broadband. So, that impacts workers, workers who have been working from home, kids who are trying to learn at home. Parts of the country where they can’t have jobs where they are working remotely. We feel that that is an area where we can improve, expand access, and, as a result be more competitive with the country — with other countries, I should say.
DOOCY: And then, on immigration, has the White House considered beefing up border security now that there is video of a three-year-old and five-year-old being thrown over the wall in New Mexico?
PSAKI; Beefing up border security?
DOOCY: Well, there are — there’s video now of a three-year-old and a five-year-old —
PSAKI: I've — I’ve seen the video and I think any of us who saw the video were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers. Ones that we have been quite familiar with that we’ve spoken out about our concerns about. As Secretary Mayorkas said, “the inhumane way smugglers abuse children while profiting off parents’ desperation is criminal and morally reprehensible.” The President certainly agrees with that and these kids, I believe, were rescued from — by — by individuals who were working at the border.
DOOCY: Yes, but they still got close enough. As you guys are talking about addressing root causes in the region, for a smuggler to throw them over a wall into the desert and I'm just curious what the White House is doing to stop that from happening.
PSAKI: In what — are you concerned more about the kids’ safety? Or are you concerned about kids getting in? Or tell me more about your concern here.
DOOCY: Kids safety is, as you’ve just mentioned, the main concern.
PSAKI: Well, of course it is, which is why I'm often surprised by some of the line of questioning in here. But I will say that our concern and our focus is on sending a clear message to smugglers — the region that this is not the time to come. You should not send your kids on this treacherous journey, that these smugglers are praying on vulnerabilities in these communities There are a lot of issues and steps we need to take to address root causes. So, of course, our concern is for the safety of these kids. These border patrol agents who save our kids deserve our — our thanks and gratitude for ensuring their safety.
(....)
2:25 p.m. Eastern
EDWARD LAWRENCE: On — on one other subject, in Georgia, talking about the voting bill that was just signed from the governor, community organizers have threatened boycotts of big companies like Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, in part from some of the information that’s come from the President. In his last news conference, he said that the bill requires voting to end early at 5:00 p.m. And you’ve said and some others have said that words matter — the bill standardizes voting hours by counties and adds Saturdays and Sundays voting and it also allows extended hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., so is there going to be a correction issued for —
PSAKI: It standardizes the ending of voting every day at five, right? It just gives options.
LAWRENCE: At seven. Seven to seven is what it —
PSAKI: It gives options to expand it, right? But it standardizes it at five. It also makes it so that outside groups can't provide water or food to people in line, right?
LAWRENCE: But the vote —
PSAKI: It makes it more difficult to absentee vote. Are those things all correct?
LAWRENCE: But voting on the day of is seven to seven and early voting can standardize Saturday and Sunday. So, my question, is the tone going to change out of the White House or —
PSAKI: The tone for a bill that limits voting access and makes it more difficult for people to engage in voting in Georgia?
LAWRENCE: No, that’s not actually what the governor of Georgia has said.
PSAKI: Well, I think that is not based in fact with what the governor of Georgia has said. So, no, our tone is not changing. We have concerns about the specific components of the package, including the fact that it makes it harder and more difficult for people to vote by limiting absentee options, by making it not viable — not possible for people to provide water to people in line, by not standardizing longer hours. So, if you are making it harder to vote, no, we don't support that.
