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Posts tagged ‘Whitehouse Press Briefing’

Associated Press provides reality check after White House claims there have been 201 mass shootings this year


By: CHRIS ENLOE | May 09, 2023

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/white-house-claims-201-mass-shootings/

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed Monday there have been more than 200 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. Not only did Jean-Pierre claim there has been more than one mass shooting per day, but she blamed Republicans for gun violence.

“Today is Monday, May 8. That mean it is the 128th day of 2023. And yesterday, according to leading accounts, we witnessed the 201st mass shooting in this country this year,” she claimed.

“That means we are averaging more than one a day. More than 200 mass shootings in 128 days. Credible estimates show that more than 14,000 people have died this year from gun violence,” she added. “This is a crisis. It is a crisis that the Republicans in Congress are refusing to address. We are talking about the number-one killer of kids in America, and Republicans in Congress are saying there is nothing that we can do about it.”

05/08/23: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre www.youtube.com

Unfortunately, Jean-Pierre did not elaborate on what “leading sources” she used to derive her figure, nor did she define what constitutes a “mass shooting.”

Around the same time Jean-Pierre made the shocking claim, the Associated Press published a story reporting a much lower number of mass killings this year.

From the AP:

Over the first four months and six days of this year, 115 people have died in 22 mass killings — an average of one mass killing a week. That includes the bloodshed Saturday at a Dallas-area mall where eight people were fatally shot.

Every death is tragic. Still, nuance is necessary, because the White House is using the most recent atrocity to advance its agenda on firearms. For example, the AP explained that the perpetrator in some of those 22 incidents used weapons other than firearms, and the contexts of the mass atrocities are different, “from family and neighborhood disputes to school and workplace shootings to explosions of gunfire in public spaces,” the AP reported. Even murder-suicides compose a fraction of the numbers.

The way that Jean-Pierre presented her figure, its validity notwithstanding, suggested that every mass killing happens the same way with the same motive: one deranged perpetrator randomly mowing down innocent people. But, as the AP reported, that simply isn’t true.

While it remains unclear where Jean-Pierre got the number, Mathew Littman, executive director of pro-gun reform organization 97Percent, went on CNN early Monday and claimed that there have been more than 200 mass shootings in 2023. That calculation includes incidents in which no one died.

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Peter Doocy confronts White House over dubious claim about immigration — and things quickly get tense


By: CHRIS ENLOE | May 03, 2023

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/doocy-confronts-jean-pierre-immigration-90-percent/

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy confronted the Biden administration on Tuesday over its claim that illegal immigration has decreased by more than 90%.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that under President Joe Biden’s leadership, illegal immigration has declined sharply — by “more than 90%.”

“When it comes to illegal migration, you’ve seen it come down by more than 90%, and that’s because of the actions that this president has taken,” she claimed.

The “more than 90%” claim received a lot of attention, but no follow-up at Monday’s press briefing. So on Tuesday, Doocy took it upon himself to ask Jean-Pierre exactly from where she derived that figure.

“Where did that number come from?” he asked, noting that Customs and Border Protection says that illegal migration has increased compared to last year.

Jean-Pierre began speaking over Doocy, then chided him, saying, “If the dramatics could come down a little bit.”

“What’s dramatic about asking a question about —” Doocy shot back, when Jean-Pierre interrupted him again.

“I was speaking to the parolee program,” she said. “As you know, the president put in place a parolee program to deal with certain countries on ways that we can limit illegal migration. And the data has shown us that it has gone down by more than 90%. That was what I was speaking to.”

When Doocy attempted to respond, Jean-Pierre refused to let him speak and moved to a different reporter.

It’s true, according to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, that immigration numbers from countries in the parolee program improved — but that improvement was offset by increasing migration from countries not in the program.

“There was a window of time earlier this year where encounters with Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Cubans did temporarily dip 90% after a policy change, but other countries, like China, shot up over 800%. Illegal crossings, including Venezuelans, back at peak highs now,” Melugin explained.

In fact, when Biden announced the parolee program about four months ago, Melugin predicted the Biden administration would use the program control the optics of the border crisis while simultaneously exacerbating it.

“This new policy will almost certainly reduce *recorded* monthly border crossing numbers because these nationalities are crossing in massive numbers,” he explained in January. “However, migrants not eligible for parole will have no incentive to turn themselves in now, & will evade as ‘gotaways’.”

Indeed, on the same day that Jean-Pierre claimed immigration had improved, the Border Patrol announced that more than 22,000 migrants had been apprehended in the previous 72 hours.

05/02/23: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre www.youtube.com

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NY Times reporter exposes double standard in White House treatment of January 6


By: CHRIS ENLOE | April 05, 2023

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/michael-shear-white-house-jan-6/

Image source: YouTube screenshot

New York Times reporter Michael Shear confronted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday over the Biden administration’s unwillingness to comment on the Donald Trump indictment. At the beginning of the briefing, Jean-Pierre said the White House is not commenting on Trump’s case because “it’s an ongoing case.”

When it was Shear’s turn to question Jean-Pierre, he noted that Biden “has spoken repeatedly” about January 6. Referring to two speeches he delivered involving Jan. 6, Shear pointed out that “there were more than 500 active legal cases going on during the time that he made those speeches” and that Biden’s comments could have impacted the cases.

“What is the White House’s reticence?” Shear asked, referring to the refusal to address Trump’s case. “And what’s the difference between [Jan. 6] and [Trump’s case]?”

The press secretary responded with her usual talking points, claiming Jan. 6 “was an attack on our democracy” and that Biden “will never shy away when it comes to our democracy.” But Shear had no patience for Jean-Pierre’s spin and question-dodging.

“There were 500 cases involving Americans whose freedom was at risk!” he told Jean-Pierre.

04/04/23: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre www.youtube.com

Jean-Pierre responded by noting that “people died” on Jan. 6, to which Shear fired back, “I don’t need a lecture on the fact that people died!”

After Jean-Pierre then accused Shear of lecturing her, he exposed yet another double standard in the White House’s position. Officials were willing to comment on Jan. 6 despite the ongoing criminal cases because of its historic nature, but Trump’s indictment is also historic, so why are they unwilling to talk about it?

“Why isn’t that, why isn’t there a similar kind of assessment about how the world is watching us now?” he asked.

The press secretary said Jan. 6 was “a different moment” and vowed the White House would be “consistent on not commenting on any criminal ongoing investigation.”

She never, however, addressed the core of Shear’s question, which highlighted the double standard about which historic criminal incidents the Biden administration publicly discusses.

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Reporters grill top WH official for allowing Taliban to harbor al Qaeda — then Peter Doocy ratchets up the pressure


By CHRIS ENLOE | August 03, 2022

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/reporters-grill-john-kirby-taliban-harboring-al-qaeda/

National Security Council coordinator John Kirby was peppered with questions Tuesday over how the Biden administration will respond to the Taliban violating the Doha Agreement.

The United States carried out a successful counterterrorism strike against the leader of al Qaeda over the weekend, killing Ayman al-Zawahiri. American operators were successful partly because al-Zawahiri was “hiding” in plain sight in a wealthy Kabul neighborhood, thus underscoring the type of impunity the Taliban have extended to al Qaeda after the fall of Afghanistan last year.

The close relationship between the Taliban and al Qaeda violates the Doha Agreement, a peace treaty negotiated under former President Donald Trump between the U.S. and the Taliban. Specifically, the agreement bars the Taliban from allowing al Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan, a provision the Taliban have clearly violated. With the Taliban in clear violation of the Doha Agreement — a reality Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged — reporters from multiple media outlets grilled Kirby over how exactly the Biden administration will respond.

“What will the repercussions be for the Taliban harboring al-Zawahiri?” ABC News chief White House correspondent Cecilia Vega asked.

“I’m not going to telegraph moves and decisions that we might make,” Kirby responded. “I’m certainly not going to get ahead of anything at this point.”

Kirby, however, disclosed that U.S. leaders have spoken with Taliban leaders for harboring al-Zawahiri, which he admitted is a clear violation of the Doha Agreement. But when NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander pressed Kirby on whether the Biden administration would hold accountable the Taliban, Kirby obfuscated, saying only that he will not “telegraph punches” and the Taliban know the U.S. is aware they violated the Doha Agreement. Kirby even suggested the Taliban might shape up because they want legitimization from Western powers.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and John Kirbywww.youtube.com

Then Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy ratcheted up the pressure.

“You guys gave a whole country to a bunch of people that are on the FBI Most Wanted list. What did you think was going to happen?” Doocy pressed.

Kirby responded by saying he takes “issue with the premise that we gave a whole country to terrorist groups.”

“The Taliban was harboring the world’s number-one terrorist. How is that not giving a country to a terrorist-sympathizing group, if not giving them permission to have terrorists just sit on a balcony?” Doocy pressed.

Engaging in circular reasoning, Kirby then told Doocy the strike against al-Zawahiri is proof the U.S. is not idly permitting the Taliban to harbor al Qaeda terrorists. And in the end, Kirby praised Biden.

“I would go so far as to say not only the American people are safer as a result of President Biden’s decision, but the rest of the world is safer,” Kirby said.

Other reporters asked Kirby similar questions about the Taliban and their violations of the Doha Agreement, but he never offered substantive answers.

Kirby said violations of the agreement will “lead to consequences not just from the United States, but from the international community” — but he never said what any of those consequences would be.

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Peter Doocy leaves new WH press secretary stumped with single question he is forced to ask three times


CHRIS ENLOE | May 17, 2022

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/peter-doocy-stumps-jean-pierre-inflation/

Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy left White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stumbling on her first official day behind the lectern after Jen Psaki’s departure. The topic? Inflation and President Joe Biden’s claim that raising corporate taxes will help the ongoing economic crisis. Referring to a tweet that Biden published last week, Doocy lobbed a softball question at Jean-Pierre, “How does raising taxes on corporations reduce inflation?”

But the new press secretary appeared unaware that such a tweet from Biden existed, asking if Doocy was, in fact, referring to a specific tweet. When Doocy informed her that Biden’s official Twitter account made such a connection between corporate taxes and inflation last week, Jean-Pierre stumbled her way through recycling Democratic talking points about taxes and corporations paying their “fair share.”

Look, you know, we have talked about — we have talked about this this past year, about making sure that the wealthiest among us are paying their fair share. And that is important to do. And that is something that, you know, the president has been, you know, working on every day when we talk about inflation and lowering costs. And so, it’s very important that, you know, as we’re seeing costs rise, as we’re talking about how to, you know — you know, build an America that is safe, that’s equal for everyone, and doesn’t leave anyone behind, that is an important part of that as well.

05/16/22: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre youtu.be

Because Jean-Pierre did not answer the question, Doocy then asked again, “But how does raising taxes on corporations lower the cost of gas, the cost of a used car, the cost of food for everyday Americans?”

This time Jean-Pierre invoked climate change and collective bargaining rights while injecting several mentions of a “fairer tax code,” but she still did not answer the question.

“Look, it is — you know, by not — if — without having a fairer tax code, which is what I’m talking about, then all — every — like manufacturing workers, cops — you know, it’s not fair for them to have to pay higher taxes than the folks that — who are — who are — who are not paying taxes at all or barely have,” Jean-Pierre added.

Doocy then asked his question a third time and included criticism from Jeff Bezos. But Jean-Pierre, again, refused to answer the question and instead attacked Bezos and regurgitated debunked talking points about deficit reduction.

“It’s not a huge mystery why one of the wealthiest individuals on Earth — right? — opposes an economic agenda that is for the middle class, that cuts some of the biggest costs families face, fights inflation for the long haul — right? — and that’s what we’re talking about; that’s why we’re talking about lowering inflation here — and adds to the historic deficit reduction the president is achieving by asking the richest taxpayers and corporations to pay their fair share. That is what we’re talking about,” she said.

Larry Summers, who has been highly critical of the Biden administration amid the inflation crisis, explained Monday that he actually agrees with Biden that hiking corporate taxes would positively impact inflation.

“I think @JeffBezos is mostly wrong in his recent attack on the @JoeBiden Admin,” Summers declared. “It is perfectly reasonable to believe, as I do and @POTUS asserts, that we should raise taxes to reduce demand to contain inflation and that the increases should be as progressive as possible.”

He added, “I say this even though I have argued vigorously that excessively expansionary macro policy from the @federalreserve and the government have contributed to inflation. I have rejected rhetoric about inflation caused by corporate gouging as preposterous.”

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