So weird.
Just this week, I wrote a column with a lede that said: “To be a White House press secretary, you need to be a skilled liar.”
And hoo boy, talk about immediate validation.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden delivered a speech at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, D.C. As he often does, he gave a bunch of shout-outs, including one for Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN).
The problem: Walorski is dead. She died, along with three others, in a head-on car crash on August 3.
In his shout-outs, Biden said: “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.”
It was quite clear that Biden, 79 — who gets confused often — had forgotten that Walorski had died. But that didn’t keep the White House from launching a nonsensical explanation for what Biden had said.
Before we start, I just want to say all of this is straight from the official White House transcript of Wednesday’s briefing.
“What happened in the hunger event today?” a reporter asked Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “The President appeared to look around the room for an audience member, a member of Congress who passed away last month. He seemed to indicate she might be in the room. What happened there?”
“So the President was, as you all know — you guys were watching today’s event, a very important event on food insecurity. The President was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work. He had — he had already planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday. There will be a bill signing in her honor this coming Friday.”
There’s the set-up. Here’s a flat-out falsehood.
“So, of course, she was on his mind. She was of top of mind for the President. He looks — very much looks forward to discussing her remarkable legacy of public service with them when he sees her family this coming Friday.”
Top of mind? That was the best a team of White House aides could come up with?
The reporter followed up. “He said, ‘Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.’”
“No, I totally understand,” Jean-Pierre said, not totally understanding. “I just — I just explained she was on top of mind. You know, this wasn’t — what we were able to witness today and what the President was able to lift up in this — at this conference at this event was how her — her focus on wanting to deal with, combat food — food insecurity in America. And this is something that he was lifting up and honoring.”
“And, again, he knows that he’s going to see her family this coming Friday. There’s a bill signing that’s going to happen in renaming a VA clinic in Indiana after the late congresswoman. He knows that he is going to see her family, and she was at top of mind.”
The subject came up again and again later in the briefing, but before we get to that, let’s pause. Remember when you were a little kid, and your parents told you to always tell the truth? Remember the first time you had the courage to admit that you really messed up, said so and apologized?
That’s all Jean-Pierre had to do. “Oh, easy answer there,” she could have said. “The President just forgot that the congresswoman died last month. He’s a busy man — what with the economy imploding and Russia leading us all toward World War III. He just forgot.”
Boom, done. Now, Forgetgate is nothing like Watergate, but the White House forgot the lesson from that scandal — the coverup is often just as bad as the crime.
Later, another reporter told Jean-Pierre, “I’m sorry I have to do this,” then asked again.
“I’m not sure why. Why? Why one more time?” she said.
“Was the President confused? Was something written in the teleprompter that he didn’t recognize? Can you just help us understand what happened?” the reporter asked.
“I mean, you’re jumping to a lot of conclusions,” the president’s spokesman said.
“I just answered the question. If I had said — if that had been the case, I would have stated that. Right? I clearly have stated what you just laid out,” she said with a straight face.
Pressed on whether the White House would release Biden’s remarks as prepared, she said: “Not really sure what that has to do with anything.”
Well, it would show if the reference to Walorski was written in his speech.
Then Jean-Pierre delivered this whopper.
“I just answered the question about her being on top of mind. I don’t think that’s any — that’s unusual. I feel like many of us have gone through that particular, you know, time where someone is on top of mind and you call them out and you mention them. Especially in this — this type of context, if you think about how he’s going to see the family in two days….”
Wow.
The lapdog media, responsible in large part for putting Biden in the White House, finally came alive. Another reporter asked the obvious follow-up question.
“I think the confusing part is why, if she and the family is top of mind, does the President think that she’s living and in the room?” the reporter said.
Jean-Pierre repeated her scripted lies, prompting the reporter to say: “Karine, I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day, but I’m not looking around for him anywhere.”
Then there was the fantastic exchange, straight from the White House transcript, as a reporter looks for an answer and Jean-Pierre tries to move on:
Q: Why doesn’t he just apologize?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — go ahead. Go ahead.
(Cross-talk by reporters.)
Q: Thanks, Karine. There are —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q: These moments of confusion are happening with increasing frequency.
Q: Why not just apologize?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: Excuse me. There are reports that —
Q: Americans are watching this and are having concerns. What do you say to that?
Q: There are reports that Treasury Secretary Yellen —
Q :What do you say to that?
Q: — is looking to leave the administration —
Q: This is a legitimate question. We need to have some answers.
Q: — at the end of year. What can you tell us about that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m sorry, somebody was yelling over you, so —
Q: No, we were asking about the mental acuity —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: — of the President.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: I said there are reports that —
Q: This is a valid question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: — Treasury Secretary Yellen is looking to leave Secretary Yellen is looking to leave the administration —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It is not your turn to speak, and you’re being rude to your colleagues, and let your colleague answer the question.
Q: You might be being rude to us by —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q: There are reports that —
Q: — not answering the question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. I — you’re yelling and — over your colleague. So that is incredibly rude.
Q: Can we have an answer to the substantive question here?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q: We’re just trying to get an answer, Karine. “Top of mind” is not an answer.
Jean-Pierre ignored the reporter and moved on.
There was one more try, and Jean-Pierre said: “Look, I know this is a question that many of you have had. I’ve answered it multiple times already in this room. And my answer is certainly not going to change. All of you may have views on — on how I’m answering it, but I am answering the question to the way that he saw it and the way that we see it.”
Now that’s frightening. And remember the day, September 28, 2022. From this day on, you can’t believe a single thing Jean-Pierre says.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.
