Psaki Won’t Say if Biden Would Pardon Hunter; Obama Returns and Jokes “Thank You Vice President Biden”; Sullivan Says Title 42 Timing Is Wrong

On 4/5/2022, Psaki refused to address whether Biden might pardon or commute Hunter Biden’s potential charges, calling it “not a hypothetical I’m going to entertain.” Obama returned to the White House and joked “Thank you, Vice President Biden” — to which Biden responded “My name is Joe Biden. I’m Barack Obama’s vice president.” A bipartisan immigration analyst said 7,000 crossings per day was “not sustainable” and questioned the timing of lifting Title 42. Senator Sullivan accused John Kerry of telling Japan not to buy American LNG, asking “who the hell’s side is this guy on?”

Pardon Question Shut Down

A reporter asked directly: “Are you aware if there have been any discussions here inside this White House about whether the President might use his pardon or commutation power with respect to either his son or his brother?”

“That’s not a hypothetical I’m going to entertain. I don’t have anything to add from this podium,” Psaki said — notably not denying that discussions had occurred.

Obama: “Thank You, Vice President Biden”

Obama returned to the White House for an ACA event and delivered a joke that captured the power dynamics between the two men. “Thank you, Vice President Biden,” Obama said — drawing laughter as Biden stood behind him. “Vice President. That was a joke. That was all set up.”

Biden then introduced himself in a way that underscored who was the supporting player. “My name is Joe Biden. I’m Barack Obama’s vice president. And I’m Joe Biden’s husband,” Biden said.

Obama reflected on the ACA’s passage. “Because the majority of Americans did have health care, some people naturally worried they’d lose what they had. The media was skeptical. There was a lot of misinformation flying around. And it’s fair to say that most Republicans showed little interest in working with us,” Obama said.

Biden added his own aside. “I got a little practice when you gave me that other act, when we were presidents. You were president. I was with you,” Biden said — again appearing to elevate himself to co-president.

”7,000 a Day Is Not Sustainable”

A bipartisan immigration analyst delivered a frank assessment. “If you go to Laredo, Texas, Henry Cuellar’s district — 85% Mexican-American, overwhelmingly Democratic — they want a secure border. 7,000 a day is not sustainable in multiple respects,” the analyst said.

“It overwhelms the communities in Texas and Arizona. It overwhelms Catholic charities. It overwhelms the Border Patrol and ICE. And obviously, it overwhelms the Biden administration politically. This is affecting his approval ratings,” the analyst continued.

On Title 42 timing, the analyst was critical. “If I had my druthers, I would have argued, can we lift this perhaps later in the summer when it gets hotter and the numbers slow down? Not right now in the peak season,” the analyst said.

”Who the Hell’s Side Is This Guy On?”

Senator Dan Sullivan delivered his sharpest attack on Climate Envoy John Kerry. “John Kerry has gone to Wall Street saying don’t invest in American energy. By the way, John Kerry has also gone to Japan. I’ve heard this from Japanese officials — saying don’t buy LNG,” Sullivan said.

“I mean, who the hell’s side is this guy on? I think Xi Jinping loves that stuff,” Sullivan added. “Kill our infrastructure. This is day one — begging dictators to produce more energy while shutting it down in Alaska and other places.”

Sullivan rejected the “Putin price hike” framing. “This isn’t Putin’s gas hike. This is Joe Biden’s gas hike and everybody in the country knows it,” Sullivan said.

Texas Border Officials Frustrated

A Texas border official described the situation on the ground. “The Border Patrol is overwhelmed. These agents are good, hardworking people. This administration is pulling them out of the field to process people. They have no place to put them,” the official said.

“You and I have to obey the rule of law. If we break the law, they’re going to come arrest us. But yet we’re going to reward all these migrants that are coming across the border,” the official said. “This administration puts illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens. They have greater rights than American citizens.”

Key Takeaways

Psaki would not say whether Biden had discussed pardoning or commuting Hunter’s potential charges — “not a hypothetical I’m going to entertain.”
Obama returned to the White House and joked “Thank you, Vice President Biden”; Biden introduced himself as “Barack Obama’s vice president.”
A bipartisan analyst said 7,000 border crossings per day was “not sustainable” and questioned the timing of lifting Title 42 during peak season.
Sullivan accused Kerry of telling Japan not to buy American LNG, asking “who the hell’s side is this guy on?”
A Texas official said illegal immigrants had “greater rights than American citizens” under the administration’s policies.

Transcript Highlights

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

Would Biden use his pardon power for his son or brother? That’s not a hypothetical I’m going to entertain.
Thank you, Vice President Biden. That was a joke. My name is Joe Biden. I’m Barack Obama’s vice president.
7,000 a day is not sustainable. It overwhelms communities, Catholic charities, Border Patrol, and the Biden administration politically.
John Kerry told Japan don’t buy LNG. Who the hell’s side is this guy on?
This isn’t Putin’s gas hike. This is Joe Biden’s gas hike and everybody knows it.
This administration puts illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens. They have greater rights.

Full transcript: 985 words transcribed via Whisper AI.