WATCH: Two Different White House Reporters Ask If Classified Docs Story Will Impact Biden Running in 2024

Two different reporters asked White House officials about whether President Joe Biden’s classified documents case might cause him to reconsider running for reelection in 2024.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was joined by Senior Advisor For Public Engagement Keisha Lance Bottoms at Friday’s White House briefing, during which Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement of the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Hur to investigate the Biden classified documents case and related matters were the primary focus of discussion.

Reuters White House correspondent Andrea Shalal was first to raise the issue of Biden’s reelection, but Bottoms parried:

ANDREA SHALAL: Can I ask you if — as you’re — in your role in community outreach, whether the issue of the documents is a particular setback for the President at a moment when other things seem to be going pretty well? Inflation is coming down. Employment is solid. Like, are you finding that you’re getting a lot of response from the public on that? And how do you — how do you play that issue?

MS. BOTTOMS: In my role as Senior Advisor for Public Engagement, we’ve not gotten any information on that in terms of from the public. We’ve not received any questions.

ANDREA SHALAL: And do you anticipate that that will have any bearing or is causing the President to think at all about — as he’s making his decision about whether to run again — will this series of discoveries have any bearing on his thinking and his thought process as he decides whether to run?

MS. BOTTOMS: I’ll refer those questions to the President. He can speak for himself on that.

NBC’s Kristen Welker also alluded to the president’s reelection, asking Jean-Pierre if the issue “undercuts” that decision to run again:

KRISTEN WELKER: One — one last question, because I know you’ve got to move on here. But the President campaigned on the argument that he would restore confidence. We know that he’s in the process of deciding whether to officially announce he’s running for reelection. Does this episode undercut that argument that he would restore confidence? Because here we have in the headlines that he is now under investigation (inaudible).

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He’s restored independence in the Department of Justice. That’s what we’re doing here.

When we’re saying we’re going to refer you to the Department of Justice, that is restoring independence as it — as it relates to issues like this. And that is important to the President. And it’s been consistent.

What I am saying about investigations has been consistent for the last two years. You’ve heard me over and over — again, when it comes to a legal issue or matter like this, we have always referred to the Department of Justice. So there’s nothing here — different here. We have said we wanted to restore the independence of the Department of Justice. That is what you’re seeing.

And again, we — this has been done in a transparent way. When it relates to how this was dealt with, with the Department of Justice and the Archives, the President takes this very, very seriously.

Any other questions that you may have about this particular issue, about the review, I would refer you to the Department of Justice. You guys have been in touch with my colleagues at the White House Counsel’s Office, and I would suggest that you continue to reach out.

Watch above via The White House.