White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blasted right-leaning outlets who promote ex-President Donald Trump’s narrative that January 6 rioters were justified and even heroic, calling them an “insult to those who lost their lives.”
At Tuesday’s White House press briefing, the proceedings were carried virtually due to the severe weather that has caused many high-profile schedule changes.
Jean-Pierre first torched Trump for his lionization of the rioters, then was asked about “right-wing media” who helped Trump promote January 6 as he campaigned in Iowa ahead of his victory:
TOMMY CHRISTOPHER: And anything for right-wing media –MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, say that –TOMMY CHRISTOPHER: — who shall remain nameless.MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Look, it is our responsibility — and I know you all know this — as it relates to reporting and, you know, to — to — I don’t know, like –Okay. Separate from — from the election — right? — if you think about what we saw on January 7th, 2021, on the front page — right? — the front-page coverage that so many brave reporters — right? — if you think about it — risked their lives to give — to give the country the information that they needed. And that hard-won coverage exposed the brutal, unprecedented assault on our Constitution, on the law enforcement, on American democracy itself.And so, I think it’s really important
that, you know, we — we — we lift up what these brave journalists and reporters are doing. And it is — I would say this: It is an insult to those who lost their lives and to, you know, the selfless reporters who put everything on the line to show us the true stakes of that moment and who are — tirelessly investigated afterward to help anyone — anyone who were putting out grotesque lies about the attack on the Capitol.And so, I’ll say that and — and just kind of lift up the work of reporters who literally risked their lives on that day to make sure the American people had the truth.TOMMY CHRISTOPHER: Thank you, Karine. We should do this again sometime. (Laughs.)MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Definitely. Thanks, Tommy.
Watch above via The White House. (Excerpts via the official White House transcript)