Tipsheet

Karine Jean-Pierre STILL Lacking in Responses on Pro-Hamas Protests

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  May 06, 2024 7:15 PM

Yet again, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has failed to provide a proper response to the pro-Hamas protests taking place on college campuses across the country. As Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich mentioned in her question to Jean-Pierre, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said President Joe Biden "should and will" visit with students and speak to them. Jean-Pierre merely answered with a "no" when asked if there's "any plan for" Biden to do so. 

One such university where pro-Hamas students have taken over is George Washington University, located right in the heart of D.C, "in the president's backyard," as Heinrich pointed out. As Spencer covered earlier on Monday, Ellen M. Granberg, the university president, has just suddenly become concerned enough to call on the metro police to step in, though they've refused to respond.

Jean-Pierre couldn't speak to that issue, though she took her time in doing so, and tried to promote Biden and the administration's lacking response as part of her answer to the follow-up question.

"So, that is something that I'm going to leave to the local law enforcement and universities. That's for them to figure out--for them to work it through," Jean-Pierre offered, trying to pass it off to someone else. 

"They know what is happening on the ground, and we've always been very clear about that and we'll continue to be clear about that. We're going to continue to call for peaceful protest and, you know, dissent cannot lead to disorder and so going to continue to be very, very clear, as the president has been--as I have been, and so many of us here in this administration has been," she continued, a claim she's made before. 

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It's a stretch at best to say that the president and his administration have been "very, very clear." He just finally gave remarks on the issue last Thursday. He has even tried to go for a "both sides" perspective on the issue, and has often buried calling out such antisemitic protests in statements where he'll also reference the administration's concerns witj Islamophobia. Jean-Pierre, who is supposed to be the spokesperson for the president, has especially been lacking. 

Such a response--or lack thereof--stands in stark contrast to those like Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who called out the terrorist sympathizers on college campuses in his Sunday appearance on ABC News' "This Week." 

The entire segment is worth watching, especially considering Cotton doesn't hold back one bit in calling Biden out as well, for how his remarks came "absolutely too late," for how he was "so equivocal," and for ow the pro-Hamas activity on college campuses is "the kind of thing that Joe Biden and Democrats are tolerating." 

Cotton specifically mentioned GWU, though, especially since it's so close to the White House. "Just blocks from here, just blocks from here, Jon, you have one of the biggest little Gazas left at George Washington University. Yesterday, they called for a guillotine, for the beheading of university administrators," he told host Jonathan Karl. 

He also explained that what's underneath it all "is a hatred for this country," referencing other examples such as chants of "death to America" that we're hearing. Bringing it back to GWU once more, he spoke to how "just blocks from where we sit right now, these fanatics have defaced a statue of George Washington. They spray-painted it, calling him a genocidal warmonger. They put a terrorist headdress--they put a terrorist headdress on George Washington."

Even after Karl desperately tried to change the subject, Cotton still brought it back to the issue of terrorist sympathizers on campus, including how he thinks it will contribute to a win in November for former and potentially future President Donald Trump. 

"The reason why Donald Trump -- one of the many reasons why Donald Trump is going to win this election is you've got Democratic protesters out there putting a terrorist headdress on a statue of George Washington," he offered. "You have patriots like these frat boys at UNC and around the country who are defending the American flag and Joe--and Joe Biden refused for two weeks to come out and denounce it. That’s--that is the 2024 election," Cotton also said. 

It wasn't just on the pro-Hamas protests taking place on college campuses across the country where the administration has been lacking. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby also participated in Monday's press briefing, and in several instances wouldn't speak to reports that the Biden administration has blocked aid to Israel. Townhall received an exclusive look at a letter sent to the president from Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who is demanding answers on the matter.

Just as she did last week, Jean-Pierre also refused to speak to reports that the Biden administration is even reportedly considering bringing civilians from Gaza to the United States as "refugees."