Biden Spokesperson Likens New White House Vaccine Rules to Fox News Covid Policy

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the Biden administration’s upcoming vaccine mandate by citing the policy Fox News uses for its own employees.

Jean-Pierre held the White House’s daily press briefing on Thursday, during which she was asked to explain the extent of the  mandate and how it will establish proof of vaccination from federal employees. Jean-Pierre answered that official guidance on that mandate would be rolled out “shortly,” but she did speak broadly about how the White House will enforce safety guidelines and verify the vaccine status of workers.

“This is a really helpful way to ensure a safe workforce for employees,” Jean-Pierre said. She directed herself toward Fox News reporter Peter Doocy as she added “It also is not dissimilar to some of the protocols you all have put in place in some of the newsrooms you work in, including Fox.”

Jean-Pierre’s comment refers to Mediaite’s confirmed reporting that Fox Corp has adopted a “vaccine passport” system where their fully-vaccinated employees are allowed to work without masks or social distancing. Unvaccinated employees are allowed to return to work, but “must continue to comply with all of FOX’s COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines, including social distancing and mask-wearing at work unless an exception applies (e.g., they are alone in an office).”

This falls under what Jean-Pierre referred to as “self-attestation” of one’s vaccination, “so this is not an unusual matter,” she said.

Watch above, via CSPAN