KJP Repeatedly Refuses to Answer Questions From Reporters Again on Friday

Friday’s White House press briefing brought more of the same non-answer responses from Biden’s Press Secretary — Karine Jean-Pierre — who’s turned into something of a broken record when it comes to her repetitive insistence that the president takes classified documents “very seriously.” (He doesn’t.)

White House spokeswoman for President Biden repeatedly refused to answer reporters’ questions, sometimes using the same excuse: “The White House Counsel’s Office has already made statements, and she simply cannot say anything more.” 

Apparently Jean-Pierre expects everyone to accept that copping to the president’s improper handling of sensitive documents *after* he’d been caught and the story broke — and then refusing to answer questions about the situation — is the utmost in transparency. (It’s not.)

REPORTER: “Is it the policy of the White House that they should share that information not just with the National Archives, but with the American people?”

KJP: “I have been here almost every day…taking your questions…the actions that we took were right actions…” pic.twitter.com/w0wFF1A895

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 13, 2023

Jean-Pierre did not offer any information. Instead, she tried to push the inquiries aside in her briefing room and to White House Counsel’s Office. This is what Jean-Pierre has done every briefing since Biden’s top secret. “whoopsie” broke. 

Her constant redirection of questions towards the president’s counsel led to an obvious question: Jean-Pierre won’t invite Richard Sauber, Biden counsel, or anyone from the counsel’s offices to the briefing room to answer questions from reporters if she isn’t allowed to?

Jean-Pierre, naturally, rebuffed the suggestion. He referred questions again to the White House Counsel’s Office.

REPORTER: “You’ve several times today referred people to the White House counsel…would you bring Richard Sauber here…to answer these questions in the briefing room…?”

KJP: “I would refer you to the White House counsel office.” pic.twitter.com/DSE7nh8jzj

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 13, 2023

Jean-Pierre doesn’t like guests at her briefings. To avoid long Q&A sessions with reporters, she often brings Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the National Security Council or John Kirby. 

So, what’s new this time around? Why isn’t the administration promising transparency and to restore trust in the presidency make their people, who seem to have all the answers to the questions about Biden’s mishandling classified documents, available?

This question was raised at Friday’s briefing. Karine Jean Pierre said that Biden is fulfilling its promises by not being able or unwilling to answer questions. Unresponsiveness to questions indicates that Biden has restored independence to the Justice Department. Bravo for transparency. Evidently, opaqueness is transparency. Spreading classified documents throughout the Mid-Atlantic is like treating them with the most seriousness.

REPORTER: “Does this episode undercut that argument that [Biden] would restore confidence…?”

KJP: “When we’re saying we’re gonna refer you to the Department of Justice, that is restoring independence as it relates to issues like this!” pic.twitter.com/jZI00Bv1Yj

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 13, 2023

Evidently, this is not the case despite the mountains of evidence that show the White House gave waking marching orders earlier in Biden’s tenure to Attorney General Merrick Galrland and the DOJ. 

On Friday, it became evident that Karine Jean Pierre is only willing to provide answers that reporters already know and have reported on. This means that she will only admit to wrongdoing once it has been disclosed. Jean-Pierre did not mention the second set of classified documents that were found in Biden’s garage, which happened less than an hours before CNN broke the existence and location of the Wilmington tranche. 

Jean-Pierre made a series of excuses for Jean-Pierre’s refusal to say anything Biden didn’t already know about: “a process.”

REPORTER: “You have answered questions when the press has broken the news…”

KJP: “Because it’s an ongoing process. Because, again, it is an ongoing process. There is a process here…We respect that process.” pic.twitter.com/LoB0tId0qh

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 13, 2023

This process conveniently hides facts that the White House knows but the press and the American people don’t know. This is the antithesis of transparency and contradicts the Biden administration’s declared promise to restore Americans’ confidence in the White House, and its occupant. 

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