WATCH: How Many Times Did Jean-Pierre Have to Tell WH Reporters to Quit Asking About Queen’s Death Before She Had Died?

Tommy ChristopherSep 9th, 2022, 8:17 am
 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly reminded reporters not to expect answers about the death of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II while she was still alive, albeit faltering.

At Thursday’s press briefing, Jean-Pierre began with a statement about the queen, telling reporters “The President has been briefed and will be updated throughout the day on the concerning news out of the United Kingdom about Queen Elizabeth’s health. His and the First Lady’s thoughts are with the Queen and her family today.”

With the royal family gathering and no news about the queen’s condition, reporters could not resist the topic anyway. Jean-Pierre had to remind them, on four separate occasions, that it was not “appropriate” to “get ahead of” events by discussing what President Joe Biden might do if or when the queen were to die.

ABC News White House correspondent Mary Bruce was first up, couching her inquiry as a “logistical question”:

MS. BRUCE: And just a logistical question. You mentioned the President being briefed on the Queen’s health. If she were to pass, should we expect the President would travel to any service?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, we think it’s inappropriate to actually be talking about that at this time, so I don’t have anything to share on travel.

Again, you know, as I stated, the people of UK and the family — the Queen’s family are in the hearts of the President and Dr. Biden. So, I’ll leave it there.

CBS News Political Correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns took a similar logistical tack, with the same result:

MS. HUEY-BURNS: Logistically, would the President be given any sort of heads up if the Queen does pass? Or would he find out, kind of, when Buckingham Palace releases a statement?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, I mean, we just feel — we just feel having those conversations at that time is inappropriate. Clearly, if anything is to share, we will share that. But again, we’re thinking about their family. They’re in our hearts. And just not going to get ahead of that at this time.

Jean-Pierre had to remind reporters twice more not to “get ahead” of events, and fended off multiple other questions about the president’s private conversations with or about the queen.

With just a few minutes remaining in the briefing,  the royal family announced, via Twitter, that “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”

Reporters told Jean-Pierre the news in real time:

Q Karine —

Q Karine, the Queen has died.

Q The Queen died.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, all right. Okay. So that’s been confirmed?

Q The Royal Family has tweeted.

Q Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as I said earlier, you know, our hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the Queen, goes to the people of United Kingdom.

I don’t want to get ahead of what the President is going to say. I want him to — from you all to hear from him first, and so I don’t want to get ahead of that.

But — and I said this earlier: Our relationship with the people of the United Kingdom — and this is something that the President has said himself — has grown stronger and stronger. And it is one of our — the United Kingdom is one of our closest allies.

And, again, our hearts go to the people of the United Kingdom, to the Queen, and to her family.

I’m just not going to go get ahead of the President.

Watch above via The White House.

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