Jean-Pierre Asked How Calling the West Wing First Was the Right Thing, Then: 'You Told Us Something Six Times That Turned Out to Be False' (January 17, 2023)

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was wrapping up her briefing when a reporter shouted one last question. “You told us something six times that turned out to be false. Are you sorry about that?” [1]

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Come talk to me. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jean-Pierre answered, according to the official transcript [1].

Minutes earlier, a reporter she called on as Steven had asked about her defense of President Joe Biden’s lawyers. “Last week, you were pretty insistent that you believed the President’s attorneys did the right thing. Do you still believe that?” he asked [1].

“Yes, they did the right thing when it comes to making sure that when the documents were found, they handed it over to the Archivist and it was handed over to Department of Justice,” Jean-Pierre said. “It is an ongoing legal process. I’m not going to say more.” [1]

The video above shows the Jan. 17, 2023, briefing. Quotes are from the official White House transcript [1].

”The First Call Was to Officials Here”

The reporter laid out what the lawyers’ own statements showed. “The first call that the President’s personal attorneys made on November 2nd was not to the FBI that they had found what we now know were top-secret documents out in the open. The first call was to officials here at this White House in the West Wing. How is that the right thing?” he asked [1].

“Isn’t it the right thing, when you see some- — if you’re a lawyer and your — you don’t have a security clearance and you see a classified document, shouldn’t you call the Justice Department’s National Security office right away?” [1]

“Again, I’m going to refer you to the White House Counsel’s Office. That is something for them to answer,” Jean-Pierre said. She added that her colleague had talked with reporters “for almost an hour.” [1]

“It was about a half hour,” the reporter shot back. “Why is it the matter of this White House Counsel to deal with documents from two administrations ago? These are — we’re not talking about presidential records from this White House.” [1]

“Again, this is something for the White House Counsel to address. I am not going to address that from here,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

”Some 18 Times”

Another reporter brought up the previous briefing. “On Friday, you stood here, though, and were asked about this documents issue, by our count, some 18 times. At that point, the President’s lawyers had found these five additional pages of classified documents,” he said. “Or are you being directed by someone to not be forthcoming on this issue?” [1]

“I have been forthcoming from this podium,” Jean-Pierre said. “And I was repeating what the — what the Counsel was sharing at that time.” [1]

Earlier, a reporter she called on as Zeke reminded her what she had said the week before: “that we all can assume, the American people could assume that the searches were complete and all the documents have been recovered.” [1] Fox News reported that on Jan. 11 she had said, “You should assume it has been completed, yes,” and that a day later more documents were found in Biden’s Wilmington garage [2].

”I Literally Just Answered That Question”

A reporter she called on as Weijia tried a yes-or-no version. “But on Friday, did you or did you not know about the additional five pages?” [1]

“I — I already an- — I literally just answered that question,” Jean-Pierre said. “But I’m asking, ‘Did you know?’” the reporter pressed. “No, I did not know,” Jean-Pierre answered [1].

Then came the follow-up. “When did you learn about the documents found at the Penn Center in November and in Wilmington in December?” the reporter asked. “When your team was — was doing a story on it,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

”Are You Listening?”

One reporter asked whether Biden was joining the search himself. “Is he physically joining in the search for these things, rummaging around, you know, these boxes in the garage and wherever else — I mean, literally?” [1]

“Are you — are you listening to your — the question that you’re asking me?” Jean-Pierre answered. “It’s a serious matter,” the reporter said. “Is he taking part in searching for his own documents?” [1]

“Twist in the Wind”

Fox News’ Dana Perino blamed Biden and Chief of Staff Ron Klain for letting Jean-Pierre lead briefings without the full picture, Fox reported. “One, they either didn’t tell her. And I believe when she said she didn’t know, she found out the same day the press corps did,” Perino said. “And they just sit there and let her twist in the wind every single day,” Perino said, according to Fox News [2].

By the Numbers

6: times the reporter said Jean-Pierre told the press something that turned out to be false [1].
18: times, by one outlet’s count, she was asked about the documents the previous Friday [1].
5: additional pages of classified documents cited by the reporter [1].
Nov. 2: the date of the lawyers’ first call, per the reporter [1].

What Happened Next

The special counsel reported. In February 2024, Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded that “no criminal charges are warranted.” His investigation “uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen” [3].

Hur wrote that at trial, Biden would likely present himself “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” He described where classified Afghanistan documents were found: “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” [3].

For the “faking outrage” exchange at the same briefing, see HYGO News’ page on Biden’s documents, and for Biden’s own answer two days later, the page on his Aptos remarks.