Psaki Accuses Republicans of “Game Playing” on SCOTUS Before Nominee Is Named, Won’t Say When Biden Learned of Breyer Retirement

On 1/28/2022, Press Secretary Jen Psaki accused Republicans of “game playing” over Biden’s upcoming Supreme Court nomination — before a single name had been put forward. When asked whether it was appropriate to limit the selection pool by race and gender, Psaki said the absence of a Black woman on the Court “shows a deficiency of the past selection processes, not a lack of qualified candidates.” She also refused to reveal when Biden last spoke with Justice Breyer or when he learned of the retirement, and deflected on crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

”Games” Before a Name

Psaki preemptively attacked Republican opposition to a nominee who had not yet been selected. “We have not mentioned a single name. We have not put out a list. The president made very clear he has not made a selection,” Psaki said. “And if anyone is saying they plan to characterize whoever he nominates — after thorough consideration with both parties — as radical before they knew literally anything about who she is, they just obliterated their own credibility.”

When asked whether Biden cared about getting bipartisan support for the confirmation, Psaki said his focus was “not on navigating the legislative game playing. It is on selecting and nominating an eminently qualified African-American woman to serve on the court."

"Appropriate” to Select by Race?

A reporter asked directly: “Some are saying that committing to nominate a Black woman is reverse racism or virtue signaling. What do you say to people who say it’s an inappropriate way to select a nominee?”

Psaki pushed back firmly. “The fact that no Black woman has been nominated shows a deficiency of the past selection processes, not a lack of qualified candidates to be nominated to the Supreme Court,” she said.

She noted that various groups had been “compiling their own lists especially given the president’s commitment to nominating an African-American woman — the first to ever serve on the Supreme Court — and certainly we have been consulting and will continue to consult with them about their views.”

When Did Biden Know?

Reporters tried to establish the timeline of Biden’s conversations with Justice Breyer. “Looking backward, before today, when was the last time that the president spoke with Justice Breyer?” a reporter asked.

Psaki refused. “I’m not going to get into details of his conversations or engagements with Justice Breyer,” she said.

“Can you say — have they spoken within the last couple of months? Have they spoken several times over the last year?” the reporter pressed.

“I appreciate your effort, but we are going to leave that to Justice Breyer to outline should he decide to,” Psaki said.

She confirmed Biden had been “reviewing bios of potential candidates since last year” and had been thinking about the short list since the spring 2020 campaign. When asked how firm the “end of February” deadline was for announcing the nominee, Psaki said: “The president said he intends to nominate. He’s already been reviewing bios."

"Is This What America Back Means?”

A reporter challenged Psaki on the administration’s foreign policy record. “The UN chief said Afghanistan is hanging by a thread — people are starving and freezing after the United States left the country. ISIS launched a big attack in Syria and Iraq. People in Afghanistan are hungry. Is this what ‘America’s back’ means?”

Psaki pushed back on the framing. “The president’s role over the last year has been rebuilding our relationships around the world that were frayed during the prior four years, reminding other countries that we are a reliable partner, a reliable ally,” she said.

When asked what lessons Biden had learned from the fall of Kabul that could be applied to Ukraine, Psaki drew a distinction. “That’s a very different circumstance, but certainly he leans on his decades of experience in foreign policy,” she said.

Student Debt: “Send Him a Bill”

A reporter asked why Biden had canceled $15 billion in student debt for specific groups but would not broadly cancel $10,000 per borrower as he had pledged. “If Congress sends him a bill to cancel $10,000 in student debt, he’d be happy to sign that into law,” Psaki said — shifting the responsibility to Congress despite Biden’s earlier suggestions that he could act unilaterally.

Key Takeaways

Psaki accused Republicans of “game playing” and “obliterating their own credibility” by opposing a nominee who had not yet been named.
She defended Biden’s race-based selection criteria, saying the absence of a Black woman on the Court reflected “a deficiency of the past selection processes.”
Psaki refused to reveal when Biden last spoke with Justice Breyer or when he learned of the planned retirement.
She deflected on Afghanistan — where people were “starving and freezing” — and on rising ISIS activity, saying Biden’s focus was “rebuilding relationships.”
On student debt, Psaki shifted responsibility to Congress despite Biden’s campaign pledge to cancel $10,000 per borrower.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

The fact that no Black woman has been nominated shows a deficiency of the past selection processes, not a lack of qualified candidates.
If anyone is saying they plan to characterize whoever he nominates as radical before they knew literally anything about who she is, they just obliterated their own credibility.
I’m not going to get into details of his conversations with Justice Breyer.
The UN chief said Afghanistan is hanging by a thread, people are starving and freezing. Is this what America’s back means?
If Congress sends him a bill to cancel $10,000 in student debt, he’d be happy to sign that into law.
His focus is on selecting and nominating an eminently qualified African-American woman, not on navigating the legislative game playing.

Full transcript: 961 words transcribed via Whisper AI.