With no Monday edition of The Psaki Show due to President’s Day, we’ll look back to Friday and how Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich not only hammered Press Secretary Jen Psaki over Team Biden’s refusal to sanction Russia ahead of a likely invasion of Ukraine, but drew Psaki’s scorn for wondering whether the U.S. is waiting for Ukranians to be slaughtered before financially crippling Russia.
Heinrich has hounded the White House for weeks on this matter, including one instance when Biden said asking about pre-invasion sanctions was “a stupid question.” And, as we saw over the weekend, Ukrainian President Zelensky voiced Heinrich’s concerns and slammed both the U.S. and NATO allies for thinking the threat of sanctions is a proper use of deterrence.
Back to Friday and Heinrich noted the reported sanctions package wouldn’t “target” Russia’s vast energy sector so as not to harm “other countries” and wouldn’t kick them out of global banking system SWIFT.
With that in mind, she asked
You guys have attributed the cyberattacks to Russia and you're warning that the prospect of war — or peace, rather, is pretty dim. So, at — at what point do you breakaway from the strategy, say it’s not working and do something else, impose some of these sanctions now?
Psaki replied with the illogical claim that “sanctions are meant to be a deterrent” and leveling them “now” would actually give the Russians a reason to invade.
Put simply, someone’s gaslighting when it comes to the definition of deterrence.
Heinrich followed up with whether the U.S. strategy’s “working” and, once Psaki doubled down that it is, the Fox reporter leveled the boom: “You're waiting for people to die before implementing them in that case.”
Psaki was taken aback, first telling Heinrich what she was “in no way a fair statement or accusation, I guess, if that's what that is.”
She further touted the administration’s supposed successes (even though it’s done nothing to stop Russia), boasting of Biden “unit[ing]...countries around the world on a strong package that will be crippling to the Russian economy and we have done that in a way where we have stood up for the territorial integrity of — of — of Ukraine and stood with our NATO partners and allies.”
Prior to the Ukraine exchange, Heinrich brought up the attempted assassination of Louisville mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg with the alleged gunman having been released on bail thanks to a Black Lives Matter bail fund:
[T]he man who was charged with this was released on bail a couple days after this happened with the assistance of a bail fund group. Knowing that the Vice President has in the past supported bail fund groups, what’s the White House's reaction and should there be restrictions on which cases these bail fund groups can help? I mean, this is an attempted murder.
Psaki passed the buck, saying she’d “have to dig into this further.”
To see the relevant briefing transcript from February 18, click “expand.”
White House press briefing [via FNC’s The Story]
February 18, 2022
3:34 p.m. EasternJACQUI HEINRICH: On the attempted murder of a Louisville mayoral candidate, the man who was charged with this was released on bail a couple days after this happened with the assistance of a bail fund group. Knowing that the Vice President has in the past supported bail fund groups, what’s the White House's reaction and should there be restrictions on which cases these bail fund groups can help? I mean, this is an attempted murder.
JEN PSAKI: I would have to dig into this further, Jacqui and I’m happy to do that after the briefing.
HEINRICH: And on Ukraine, the sanctions, we’ve learned, don't include SWIFT, they don't target energy so impacts to other countries are mitigated. You guys have attributed the cyberattacks to Russia and you're warning that the prospect of war — or peace, rather, is pretty dim. So, at — at what point do you breakaway from the strategy, say it’s not working and do something else, impose some of these sanctions now?
PSAKI: Well, I think, as we talked a little bit about in here, our collective view from our national security team is that sanctions are meant to be a deterrent. They are not — if you put all of the sanctions in place now, what is stopping them from invading?
HEINRICH: Are they working?
PSAKI: Well, again, Jacqui, I think that's our assessment from the national security team and, you know, we will continue to implement that strategy.
HEINRICH: You're waiting for people to die before implementing them in that case.
PSAKI: I think, Jacqui, that's in no way a fair statement or accusation, I guess, if that's what that is. What we have done and what the President has done is unite hund — countries around the world on a strong package that will be crippling to the Russian economy and we have done that in a way where we have stood up for the territorial integrity of — of — of Ukraine and stood with our NATO partners and allies. It has always been up to President Putin and Russia to determine which path they were going to take. That has not changed, but that leadership on the world stage is what has led to a united front and united opposition to these actions. And I would also note that regardless of what decision President Putin decides to make, one of his intended objectives, I think as we've seen out there, is to divide NATO. The opposite has happened. To divide maybe the United States and divide leadership of the United States. The opposite has happened. So, if that was his objective, he’s already not achieving that.
