‘Mortified’: CBN Reporter From Cringeworthy Viral Exchange with Psaki Admits ‘I Wasn’t Prepared Enough’
Christian Broadcasting Network White House Correspondent Caitlin Burke said she was “mortified” about an exchange with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki that went viral for its supreme awkwardness.
On Wednesday’s edition of the CBN News Daily Rundown podcast with Dan Andros, Tré Goins-Phillips, and Billy Hallowell, Ms. Burke dished about her question time with Psaki, which is closing in on a million views on Twitter.
In the cringe-worthy clip, Ms. Psaki used one of her most well-known tactics on Ms. Burke — derailing a question with questions of her own — to cringe-worthy effect.
The podcast hosts teed up the exchange by saying that Psaki “dodged” the question, and “did a little dance.”
But Burke, to her credit, owned up to everything, telling them “I’m not going to lie. I was a little mortified with my first White House briefing question, and I, you know, I will admit I wasn’t prepared enough.”
She summarized her question, which was about the costs and effects of the Build Back Better bill, and said of Psaki “instead of answering the question, she fired back at me, ‘Well, who says it’s not paid for?'”
“Not gonna lie, I have no idea,” Burke said with a laugh, and revealed “I was conferring with our economic expert at CBN, and I told him that the producer wanted inflation question. That’s what he suggested, and I should have done more research to be prepared to answer that question, but I came in with a question that had been sent on to me, blind.”
Later in the podcast, Burke cited a CBO score that the hosts theorized would have stumped Psaki if Burke had recalled it — but Psaki has in fact responded to that score in detail. It was requested by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, and was an analysis of a hypothetical bill that was not fully paid for — and was not proposed by President Joe Biden — which extended many programs beyond where Build Back Better ended them.
Critics contend it is fair to assume the programs will be extended, while the White House takes the position that if programs were to be extended, the president would insist on additional pay-fors before supporting them.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Burke gives a fascinating step-by-step account of her quest to gain access to the briefing, and offered other views on the Biden White House and Psaki’s press shop.
Listen above via CBN.
