There certainly was a story behind President Joe Biden calling to thank a U.S. Coast Guard member, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Zach Loesch. As Leah covered, Loesch will soon be fired after his religious exemption against the COVID vaccine was denied. RealClearPolitics' Phil Wegmann mentioned the technician and asked White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during Tuesday's press briefing if "would the President ever reconsider that vaccination requirement or consider issuing more exemptions," also referencing "given the threats that we’re facing abroad."
REPORTER: "The president recently praised a group of Coast Guard rescue swimmers. One of them reportedly faces termination because he isn't vaccinated."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 4, 2022
KJP: "The president and the country are grateful for all of the US Coast Guard heroes..." pic.twitter.com/CA1bKzAvkh
Jean-Pierre could provide nothing close to a sufficient answer, other than to tell Wegmann "I would refer you specifically to the U.S. Coast Guard on this," as it was "not something that I would comment from here." She emphasized in her response that she would not comment on "an individual case." The press secretary also tellingly reminded that "you know, there, of course, have been multiple vaccination requirements, as you know, in place for quite some time," which is part of the problem.
That her response involved such a non-answer made what she started with ring hollow, which was that "as you can imagine, the president has the most--the deepest respect for the U.S. Coast Guard," which is "something that you would hear from him directly." This is despite how Loesch could be fired despite his acts of bravery, which involved saving a woman in a wheelchair and her husband who were trapped in their bedroom.
Jean-Pierre added that "the president and the country are grateful for all of the U.S. Coast Guard heroes that have led the effort to save lives in Florida. We have seen that with our very own eyes these past couple of days."
As Military.com reported last month, an internal memo showed that the Pentagon's inspector general warned that religious exemptions denials were rushed. Loesch had applied for a religious exemption and filed an appeal, but both were denied.
The vaccine mandates are even more cruel and unnecessary, given that Biden in an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired last month claimed repeatedly that "the pandemic is over," which resulted in calls to end the military vaccine requirements.