During Thursday's train wreck known as the White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got demolished by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy after Jean-Pierre accused Republican governors of using migrants as political pawns by bussing them to Washington D.C. The always floundering Jean-Pierre mumbled and stumbled her way through multiple grillings by Doocy.
The first question out of the gate was whether "President Biden ask[ed] President Xi anything about getting to the bottom of the origins of COVID." Naturally, this simple question completely flummoxed Jean-Pierre who began frantically flipping through her notes in her binder for an answer to Doocy's question.
DOOCY TIME: "On the phone today, did president Biden ask president Xi anything about getting to the bottom of the origins of COVID?" pic.twitter.com/WxUBwHVrxn
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) July 28, 2022
When Jean-Pierre eventually had an answer, if was a rambling word salad that never answered the question put to her by Doocy:
Ah so, on the origins of COVID. The two Presidents did discuss the health, security, and transparency is key part of that. As we have repeatedly said, the PRC is not living up to scientific and public health norms for data and information sharing we have said this before so that is nothing new. And we are—the international community we’ve said this needs more data, they need more information to make clear the determination. On the origins of the pandemic, we continue to work with our partners around the world to press China to fully share information and to cooperate with the World Health Organization so this has come up many times.
Changing topics, Doocy asked "The DC Mayor sent the White House a letter asking for National Guard help with migrants who have been bussed here from Texas and Arizona. Is the President gonna approve that request for the National Guard?"
In response, Jean-Pierre ducked by referring him to the Department of Defense. She went on to whine how "Republicans using migrants as a political tool, and that is shameful, and that is just wrong."
"There is a process in place for managing migrants at the border, this is not it,” she said. "What they’re doing currently that includes expelling migrants as required by court order under Title 42. Transferring them to ICE custody, or placing them in the care of local NGOs as they await further processing. Again so what Republicans are doing, the way that they’re meddling in the process and using migrants as a political pawn is just wrong," Jean-Pierre huffed.
"So the White House's preference would be for small towns in Texas and Arizona to have to take care of these migrants rather than a large metropolitan city like Washington DC?" Doocy replied.
"That is not what I said," Jean-Pierre interjected. "They’re sending migrants to big cities on purpose, using them as a political ploy." "If they don’t go to big cities, where should they go?" Doocy shot back. Jean-Pierre snarked that "There’s a process. I just laid it out."
Doocy shot back: "There’s a process and they come to a big city and now the Mayor says she needs the National Guard?"
Realizing she's running out of non-answers, Jean-Pierre replied: "That’s because Republicans are using, they’re using migrants who are coming here for who knows? Because they’re dealing with humanitarian issues back in their country. They’re coming here for a better life and they’re being used, Peter, they’re being used by Republican governors. That is what’s happening."
Doocy managed to get in one question before she frantically called on another reporter to get out of Doocy's line of questioning: "Does any of this make the President want to say 'this is causing a lot of burdens on small cities, big cities, maybe I should just close the border?’"
"What I'm saying is what Republicans are doing is wrong and there is a process in place and we should follow the process. There is a legal process in place and they should follow it," Jean-Pierre said dismissively before calling on another reporter.
To read the full transcript of this exchange click "expand":
White House press conference
July 28, 2022
4:29:53 p.m. EasternPETER DOOCY: Thanks, Karine. On the phone, today, did President Biden ask President Xi anything about getting to the bottom of the origins of COVID?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Ah so, on the origins of COVID. The two Presidents did discuss the health, security, and transparency is key part of that. As we have repeatedly said, the PRC is not living up to scientific and public health norms for data and information sharing we have said this before so that is nothing new. And we are—the international community we’ve said this needs more data, they need more information to make clear the determination. On the origins of the pandemic, we continue to work with our partners around the world to press China to fully share information and to cooperate with the World Health Organization so this has come up many times.
[crosstalk]
DOOCY: I know its come up before but it came up today?
JEAN-PIERRE: I’m just saying that the two President [sic] did discuss health security. That did come up.
DOOCY: Okay, did the President ask Xi about the findings of that congressional investigation that the Chinese were trying to infiltrate the Federal Reserve over the last couple years?
JEAN-PIERRE: We don’t have anything to share on that.
DOOCY: Okay, ah.
JEAN-PIERRE: Beyond the readout that you all got.
DOOCY: On a different topic. The DC Mayor sent the White House a letter asking for National Guard help with migrants who have been bussed here from Texas and Arizona. Is the President gonna approve that request for the National Guard?
JEAN-PIERRE: So as to your question on the National Guard, I refer you to the Department of Defense. They will have that answer for you. We have been in regular touch with Mayor Bowser and her team. And I said this before, I said this last week about Republicans using migrants as a political tool, and that is shameful, and that is just wrong.
There is a process in place for managing migrants at the border, this is not it. What they’re doing currently that includes expelling migrants as required by court order under Title 42. Transferring them to ICE custody, or placing them in the care of local NGOs as they await further processing. Again so what Republicans are doing, the way that they’re meddling in the process and using migrants as a political pawn is just wrong.
DOOCY: So the White House's preference would be for small towns in Texas and Arizona to have to take care of these migrants rather than a large metropolitan city like Washington DC?
JEAN-PIERRE: That is not what I said. That is not what I said.
DOOCY: That is what you said.
[crosstalk]
JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah they are. They’re sending migrants to big cities on purpose, using them as a political ploy.
DOOCY: If they don’t go to big cities, where should they go?
JEAN-PIERRE: There’s a process. I just laid it out.
DOOCY: There’s a process and they come to a big city and now the Mayor says she needs the National Guard?
JEAN-PIERRE: That’s because Republicans are using, they’re using migrants who are coming here for who knows? Because they’re dealing with humanitarian issues back in their country. They’re coming here for a better life and they’re being used, Peter, they’re being used by Republican governors. That is what’s happening.
DOOCY: Does any of this make the president want to say “this is causing a lot of burdens on small cities, big cities, maybe I should just close the border”?
JEAN-PIERRE: What I'm saying is what Republicans are doing is wrong and there is a process in place and we should follow the process. There is a legal process in place and they should follow it.
