‘We Welcome Tough Questions’: Jen Psaki Pressed About Suggestion Reporters Believe ISIS or Russia Propaganda
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about a pair of exchanges that were widely perceived as suggesting reporters were swallowing ISIS and Russian propaganda.
Journalists were heavily critical of two exchanges Thursday; one between Psaki and NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe, in which Rascoe expressed skepticism about the official story regarding civilian casualties during the raid that killed the leader of ISIS in Syria; and one between State Department spokesman Ned Price and AP reporter Matt Lee in which Lee expressed skepticism about U.S. intel that suggests Russia may engineer a fake attack by Ukraine.
In each case, the reporters were cautioned against believing enemy propaganda in a manner that was heavy-handed enough to cause widespread outcry.
At Friday’s press briefing, Associated Press White House correspondent Alexandra Jaffe asked Psaki about those exchanges, as well as the ISIS raid.
“So yesterday, you and State Department spokesman Ned Price both took issue with reporters asking for evidence of your statements with respect to the Syria strike and the Russian false flag operation,” Jaffe said, and asked “Do you really believe that journalists are repeating Russian and Islamic State propaganda in pursuing those questions? First of all, and second of all, will you be offering evidence of your claims with respect to what happened in Syria when they become available?”
Psaki replied “Absolutely,” then backed up to address the first part of Jaffe’s question.
“Let me just start by saying that we welcome tough questions and good faith scrutiny. Otherwise I wouldn’t come out here. I wouldn’t have come out here almost 180 times and engaged with all of you, and your tough questions and good faith scrutiny,” Psaki said.
Psaki then reiterated the substance of her response on the raid, which one reporter mischaracterized as “take our word for it.”
She pointed out that “we are less than 48 hours from the end of the mission” and that the “Department of Defense is still conducting after action assessments,” and when those are complete, “we will do everything we can to provide as many details as possible.”
But Psaki also noted “it is different having operators on the ground than an airstrike where it’s a different assessment after action.”
Psaki also reiterated that “of course, we respect and value the role of the press. Otherwise, again, I wouldn’t be out here with all of you every day and welcome the scrutiny, welcome the tough questioning.”
Two days before both of the exchanges in question, a Reuters reporter asked Psaki if the Biden administration should “sympathize” with Russia. Psaki concluded that exchange by cautioning the reporter that “we need to be careful about comparing them as the same thing.”
Watch above via NBC News.
