White House Repeatedly Dodges Durham Bombshell About Clinton Campaign Spying on Trump; Pentagon Contradicts Biden on Afghanistan

On 2/14/2022, Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly refused to comment on Special Counsel John Durham’s bombshell filing revealing that operatives connected to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign had infiltrated Trump Tower and White House servers to fabricate a Russia connection. Jean-Pierre deflected every question with “I refer you to the Department of Justice.” Separately, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby contradicted Biden’s claim that he was “not told” about conditions in Afghanistan, confirming the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs Chairman communicated frequently with the president throughout the withdrawal.

Durham Bombshell: Clinton Operatives Infiltrated Trump Servers

A new filing from Special Counsel Durham revealed that Perkins Coie allies connected to Clinton’s 2016 campaign had paid to monitor Trump’s internet traffic — both at Trump Tower during the campaign and at the White House after inauguration — to manufacture a narrative linking Trump to Russia.

A reporter asked Jean-Pierre directly: “Does the President have any concerns about a candidate for president using computer experts to infiltrate computer systems of competing candidates or even the President-elect?”

“That’s something I can’t speak to from this podium. I refer you to the Department of Justice,” Jean-Pierre said.

“Would you describe monitoring internet traffic as spying?” the reporter pressed.

“Again, I can’t speak to that report. I refer you to the Department of Justice,” Jean-Pierre repeated.

“Generally speaking, monitoring internet traffic—” the reporter tried again.

“I can’t give you my answer. I refer you to the Department of Justice. I can’t speak to that from here,” Jean-Pierre said.

A commentator noted the significance: “The other big takeaway is President Trump was right. Clear back in 2017, he said, they’re spying on me. And all the Democrats in the mainstream press said, no, that’s not happening. Two years later, it was Attorney General Barr who said spying took place. Now we know for sure — in 2022, now we know for sure that they were in fact spying. And it was worse than we thought.”

Pentagon Contradicts Biden on Afghanistan

Biden had told NBC that he was “not told” about what commanders observed on the ground in Afghanistan. Pentagon spokesman Kirby directly contradicted this claim.

“He said in that interview that he’s ‘not told’ about what commanders were observing on the ground in Afghanistan,” a reporter noted. “It would seem to me that the Secretary and the Chairman are tasked with communicating to the president what troops on the ground are seeing.”

Kirby confirmed extensive communication. “Throughout the month of August, in fact, well before the month of August, there was a very robust, steady, frequent communication, all through the summer,” Kirby said. “The Chairman and the Secretary absolutely take very seriously their requirement to provide the Commander-in-Chief with their best advice.”

“There were many, many opportunities for them to do that, both in terms of larger interagency meetings, as well as private sessions that they have weekly with the president. And they’ve said as much in testimony,” Kirby added.

No After-Action Report — or Was There?

A reporter pressed Jean-Pierre on whether Psaki had misspoken the prior week when she said there was “no after-action report” on Afghanistan. “There’s been some reporting that indicated there was indeed an after-action report that was reviewed,” the reporter said.

Jean-Pierre attempted to distinguish between reports. “No, Jen did not misspeak last week. This Abbey Gate report is not the Pentagon’s broader after-action review on Afghanistan. That report will examine the final months,” she said.

Nord Stream 2 Waiver

A reporter asked whether the White House had insisted on a waiver for Nord Stream 2 sanctions even after a Russian invasion. “Congressional sources have told me that the White House has insisted on a waiver from Nord Stream 2 even after an invasion. Can you confirm?” the reporter asked.

“That is the first I’m hearing of that. I cannot speak to it,” Jean-Pierre said — notably not denying it.

When pressed on whether it would be “tough for the U.S. to continue to import Russian gas” after pressuring Germany on Nord Stream 2, Jean-Pierre called it “a hypothetical.”

Key Takeaways

Jean-Pierre refused to comment on Durham’s filing showing Clinton operatives infiltrated Trump Tower and White House servers, saying “I refer you to the Department of Justice” to every question.
Pentagon spokesman Kirby contradicted Biden’s claim of not being “told” about Afghanistan, confirming “robust, steady, frequent” communication between military leadership and the president.
Jean-Pierre did not deny reports that the White House was seeking a Nord Stream 2 sanctions waiver even after a Russian invasion.
A commentator noted “President Trump was right — clear back in 2017, he said they’re spying on me. Now we know for sure.”
Jean-Pierre claimed Psaki had not misspoken about there being no after-action report, drawing a distinction between the Abbey Gate report and a broader Pentagon review.

Transcript Highlights

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

Does the President have concerns about a candidate using computer experts to infiltrate competing candidates’ systems? I can’t speak to that. I refer you to the Department of Justice.
Would you describe monitoring internet traffic as spying? I can’t speak to that report.
President Trump was right. Clear back in 2017, he said they’re spying on me. Now we know for sure. It was worse than we thought.
The Chairman and the Secretary absolutely take very seriously their requirement to provide the Commander-in-Chief with their best advice. There were many, many opportunities for them to do that.
Congressional sources say the White House insisted on a waiver from Nord Stream 2 even after an invasion. That is the first I’m hearing of that.

Full transcript: 1010 words transcribed via Whisper AI.