‘Have You Apologized?’ MSNBC’s Host Stops Karine Jean-Pierre Cold With Tough Question On Biden’s Cognitive Decline
Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was left scrambling for an answer when MSNBC anchor Elise Jordan pressed her on the “mental acuity” of her old boss, ex-President Joe Biden.
Jordan, during MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime on Saturday night, asked Jean-Pierre if she regretted going after Special Counsel Robert Hur, after his 2024 report called into question Biden’s cognitive ability and memory.
Biden’s mental decline, Jordan said, was obvious to Americans who watched his debate with President Donald Trump in June 2024 — so why would Jean-Pierre, at the time, call Hur’s report “gratuitous” and one that did not “live in reality,” Jordan wanted to know.
“Robert Hur was unemployable for a period because of the attacks from the Democrats and from the White House that you were at the podium leading,” Jordan said. “Have you apologized to Robert Hur?”
Jean-Pierre was visibly taken aback by the question — shaking her head as she formulated her reply.
“I mean…look… what I can say to you is, I saw the president every single day. It wasn’t one-offs, it wasn’t once in a while, I saw him every day,” Jean-Pierre responded.
Jordan jumped in to ask the Hur case in particular. KJP had “pretty sharp comments about ” Hur, Jordan noted, so did the ex-press secretary regret any of her comments about Biden’s mental health or her comments about Her?
KJP said she did not, and that she saw Biden wake up every day, for years, “very zeroed in and focused on” delivering for the American public.
“I was called into the Oval Office on a daily basis. I traveled with him for 95% of the time,” Jean-Pierre said. “And so, I’m speaking for myself here. I’m speaking for what I saw, and that was why I pushed back,”
Jean-Pierre said she of course did not get everything right, but that it was not a simple yes-or-no answer. She added she was proud “as a black woman who is queer” to have served as the press secretary, and that she was “very proud” of everything she did for the Biden Administration.
Watch part of her interview above.
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓