As more facts about President Joe Biden's mishandling of classified documents are discovered — leading to the appointment of a special counsel to further investigate potential wrongdoing — White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been stonewalling reporters' questions.
Jean-Pierre isn't staying silent, it's just that she's not answering any questions. Despite a pile-on by most reporters in the briefing room on Thursday afternoon, she refused to provide information or address the questions that many Americans have as it turns out Biden was no better — and seemingly much worse — at handling classified materials than his predecessor.
In case you missed Thursday's briefing, Jean-Pierre really wants you to know that Biden takes classified documents "very seriously."
🤖🤖🤖
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 12, 2023
Joe Biden takes classified documents very seriously. pic.twitter.com/pYz6BDk5ZF
Except, Biden doesn't take classified documents seriously. If he did, they wouldn't have been kept in his garage. He also wouldn't have, as the White House claims, simply "misplaced" them and not known they were in his possession. And he certainly would not have left them in an unsecured office to which "smartest man I know" Hunter Biden and powerful Chinese Communist Party affiliates had access.
After a pretty brutal White House press briefing on Thursday, Jean-Pierre is set to hold another briefing on Friday afternoon. Ahead of what's sure to be a testy set of exchanges between President Biden's spokeswoman and members of the press, Dana Perino has a question she'd like to hear Jean-Pierre answer: "When did you know about these documents?"
"This doesn't have anything to do with lawyers," Perino noted of the question she wants to hear asked of Jean-Pierre who hid behind legal reasons to avoid answering questions. "Did they not tell her? It's possible, and I would be furious if that was the case," Perino said. "Did you know on November 2? Did they not tell you on November 18 when they appointed a special counsel to look into Trump? Did you find out just this week? Did you find out when we did?" Perino added.
"When did *you* know about these documents?"
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) January 13, 2023
That's the question @DanaPerino wants WH Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to answer.
"Did they not tell her?" pic.twitter.com/kR0rv6HA7B
The suggestion from Perino, herself a former senior White House aide and President George W. Bush's press secretary from 2007 to 2009, came on Friday morning's installment of America's Newsroom. And Perino knows better than most what someone behind the briefing room podium can and cannot say.
"Those are questions that you can't say, 'Well, the lawyers told me I can't answer that,'" Perino explained. "If that's the case, then we know the answer."