Can Jean-Pierre Vouch for Her Podium Statements? 'I Will Always Follow the Guidance of the White House Counsel' (February 2, 2023)

A reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to vouch for her own words. On the classified documents case, the reporter said, the early story had been “the reporting to the effect that statements from this podium at different points later proved to be inaccurate” [1].

Could she “simply assure us that you challenge that element of this narrative — that you are satisfied personally with the accuracy of all of the information that you dispense from this podium”? [1]

She did not answer that directly. “At this podium, I will always follow the guidance of the White House Counsel’s Office when it comes to ongoing investigations,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

The video above shows the exchange from the Feb. 2, 2023, White House briefing. Quotes are from the official transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

”Things Change”

Jean-Pierre said her statements had come from the lawyers. “But when I have made statements from this podium on this investigation, it was at the guidance of the Counsel’s Office and consistent with what they have said and wanted to communicate at the time. Right?” she said [1].

Then she explained why the story kept shifting. “One of the reasons we try not to comment on this is because it’s changing — right? — it is currently — it is currently under investigation. And when you have a legal matter, as you know — I know you understand this — things change and things move very, very quickly,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

“And so, I’ve continued to provide the information that I have — I have had at the time, and I will continue to do that,” she said [1].

”Which Tragedies Merit High-Level Attention”

The same reporter had a second question, about who gets a call from the president. It began with the funeral of Tyre Nichols, where Vice President Kamala Harris had spoken. The reporter said it was posed “with no aspersions cast on what I think all observers thought was a very eloquent eulogy delivered by the Vice President” [1].

But the event, the reporter said, “calls into question how the Biden White House goes about deciding which atrocities, which tragedies merit high-level attention from the President or the Vice President.” Biden, the reporter noted, “called the parents of Damar Hamlin, an injured NFL player” [1].

“I checked the White House website just before coming into the briefing room today. And I see no indication that the chief executive has at any time reached out to the family of Justin McIntire, who was the police chief in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, who was shot to death in the line of duty, a father of four. Why not?” the reporter asked [1].

McIntire had been sworn in as Brackenridge’s chief on Jan. 2, 2019. “Exactly four years later, McIntire was shot and killed in the line of duty,” WPXI reported. Investigators believed he was ambushed, Allegheny County police said [2].

”I Spoke to His Mother and Father at Length”

Both tragedies came on the same day. Hamlin “suffered a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2,” according to a note in the official record of Biden’s remarks [3]. McIntire was killed that same Monday, Jan. 2 [2].

Two days later, a reporter shouted to Biden: “What’s your message to Damar Hamlin and his family?” “I spoke to his mother and father at length,” the president answered [3].

”I Understand Why You’re Naming That Family”

Jean-Pierre did not say Biden had called. “You’ve named one family in particular. I understand why you’re naming that family in particular. But there’s been many families that he has called to offer up — you know, to offer up his condolences and offer up his help and assistance in any way. We do not read out all of those — all of those conversations,” she said [1].

She described Biden’s empathy instead. “But if you know Joe Biden and if you’ve been around Joe Biden, you know that this is something that the President does in a way that many politicians — at least that I have worked for — are not — won’t — can’t do — are not capable of doing,” she said [1].

“And so, I would not — again, you named one family,” Jean-Pierre said, and moved on: “I’m going to continue to go around” [1].

By the Numbers

4 years: McIntire’s time as Brackenridge police chief, to the day [2].
4: his children, as the reporter noted [1].
0: calls to the McIntire family the reporter found on the White House website [1].
36 years: Biden’s time as a senator, as Jean-Pierre noted [1].

What Happened Next

The special counsel described the garage. A year later, Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report described where some of the classified Afghanistan documents had turned up: “in a badly damaged box in the garage, near a collapsed dog crate, a dog bed, a Zappos box, an empty bucket, a broken lamp wrapped with duct tape, potting soil, and synthetic firewood” [4].

No charges. “We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter,” the report said [4].

For what Jean-Pierre said about the documents in January, see HYGO News’ page on “surprised that the records were there”, and for whether Biden would talk to the special counsel, the page on “that is a hypothetical”.