No, a White House Reporter Did Not Call Kayleigh McEnany a ‘Lying B*tch’
There was a moment from Kayleigh McEnany’s latest press briefing that has prompted some to ask whether or not a reporter called the White House press secretary a “lying bitch.” The claim, however, has turned out to be so flimsy that it is being contradicted by the White House itself.
Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett pressed McEnany on Tuesday with multiple questions about maintaining the integrity of America’s elections. When Halkett tried to follow-up by asking about vaccine research, McEnany scolded her for asking too many questions and moved on to another reporter.
That’s when Halkett said something that initially created a “Laurel or Yanny” phenomenon across political Twitter.
When the audio surfaced on social media, some people thought Halkett responded to McEnany’s shutdown by calling her a “lying bitch.”
Question for @KimberlyHalkett – Did you really say “Okay, you’re a lying bitch” about @PressSec pic.twitter.com/RcYr6kJZxK
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) July 21, 2020
Yeah, someone said, “Yeah, you’re a lying bitch.” https://t.co/mDTABJe3MO
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) July 21, 2020
Lying bitch:
/ˈlīiNG biCH/
(noun)
Meaning: "Prettier than me." https://t.co/EIj0D02k8R— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 21, 2020
RT if you think @KimberlyHalkett should lose her press pass for calling the @PressSec a “lying bitch”
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) July 21, 2020
Bye bye Al Jezeera.. no room in that briefing room for that.
Ametica supports Al Jezeera and the reporter getting bumped from the briefings. https://t.co/xdbaruDQC4— ?? ERIC BOLLING ?? (@ericbolling) July 21, 2020
WOW: Fake news reporter calls @PressSec a "lying bitch" on live television.
The White House needs to suspend their press credentials for improper conduct. So unacceptable!pic.twitter.com/1UyqBUUBso
— Mike Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) July 21, 2020
Halkett responded to the charge against her by clarifying that she actually said “okay, you don’t want to engage.”
Thanks for asking @charliespiering … there's a lot of misreporting out there about that briefing. The answer to your question is, I DID NOT. What I said was, "OKAY, YOU DON'T WANT TO ENGAGE." https://t.co/xmu5YR7gXr
— Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett) July 21, 2020
As it were, there were a lot of people who agreed it’s more likely Halkett was commenting on McEnany’s refusal to engage:
“Okay you don’t want to engage.”
or
“Okay you’re a lying bitch.”
Listen carefully to what you actually hear here.pic.twitter.com/OiNOO9uuU2
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) July 21, 2020
When you listen to this sound again, it doesn't seem like the reporter is calling @PressSec a "lying b*tch," it appears she is saying, "OK, you don't want to engage." pic.twitter.com/yhHDxLc9zB
— Haley Victory Smith (@Haley_Victory) July 21, 2020
i hear “you don’t want to engage." https://t.co/DLgR9W6kNI
— tsar becket adams (@BecketAdams) July 21, 2020
This is the slowed down audio. She clearly says, "Okay, you don't want to engage." https://t.co/63KYN6dLBU pic.twitter.com/HGWCvH4a1L
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) July 21, 2020
Nobody called McEnany a "lying bitch." When McEnany declined to continue responding to follow-ups, the reporter muttered, "OK, you don't want to engage." You don't even need to slow down the audio (https://t.co/apu5EdLI8Y) to hear the correct words clearly. pic.twitter.com/SsDkbojsIQ
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 21, 2020
This is quite obviously "Ok, you don't want to engage" and I'm not quite sure how anyone else heard anything else pic.twitter.com/VJxEMU1TZE
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) July 21, 2020
Some outlets and news followers also retreated from the accusation against Halkett and expressed regret for jumping to conclusions.
Previous tweet: deleted
New tweet, a Trumpian "some are saying…" pic.twitter.com/BOWg7sPmD1
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) July 21, 2020
Some reporters have pointed out that the reporter appears to have told White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, “OK, you don’t want to engage.”
I am deleting my previous tweet given it is unclear what was said.
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) July 21, 2020
Went back and listened to that clip, it sounds like the WH correspondent is saying ‘you don’t want to engage’
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) July 21, 2020
This is crazy… some psychology at play here because when people were saying "lying bitch," I heard it as clear as day…
But when the other option was presented, that's what I hear.
I think it's "okay you don't want to engage," deleted past tweets. https://t.co/KcA3DOK1Ym
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) July 21, 2020
I deleted this tweet expressing concern because a plausible alternative — "you don't want to engage" — has emerged. It appeared civil discourse in the WH briefing room had broken down. Thankfully not. pic.twitter.com/mRPyLGmo9S
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) July 21, 2020
It sounded so much like "lying bitch," but I slowed it down and she clearly says, "you don't want to engage," so I deleted the original tweet. Apologies. pic.twitter.com/pZuCQrHrt7
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) July 21, 2020
UPDATE – 2:43 p.m. ET: Here’s how the official White House transcript had it:
"Some are saying" is such garbage. The official White House transcript has the quote correct. https://t.co/BRzATL5Q1o pic.twitter.com/eZNbgTvfes
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 21, 2020
Watch above, via the Washington Post.
