Reporter on Air Force One Asks if Biden Thought Republican Questions to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Were ‘Racist’

A reporter aboard Air Force One asked if President Joe Biden thought Republican questioning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was “racist” or “inappropriate.”

The president embarked on a momentous trip to Europe Thursday, even as day three of Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings continued to play out with a string of Republican senators attacking the nominee to the point of badgering.

Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefed reporters aboard Air Force One Wednesday en route to Brussels, and was asked for the president’s reaction to the hearings so far.

Ms. Jean-Pierre replied that the president “did watch some of the portions of yesterday’s hearing with Judge Jackson,” and that “he couldn’t be more proud of her intellect, her grace, character, and the value of her experience.”

She went on to add that “the President was also impressed with how she dismantled bad-faith conspiracy theories and that have — that have been fact checked by major media outlets and experts, like some of you all here, and moderates in both parties are now dismissing them for the fringe smears that they are.”

Reporters then zeroed in on questioning from Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Tom Cotton, and pressed KJP to reveal whether the president thought those lines of questioning were “racist” or otherwise “inappropriate”:

Q I guess — I just wanted to follow up really quickly. Does he have any reaction to the kind of questioning that Senator Cruz, Senator Hawley, Senator Cotton — I mean, you know, a range of them — did? What did he think of their questions?

Q And just to piggyback on that — just the critical race theory as well — you know, theory and all of that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Let me talk more broadly about your point, Michael, about the overall attacks. Look — so, you know, we’re going to — we’re focused on the full Senate. Right? She’s been working hard to earn support since day one. She has — since the day she was — the President named her, she’s met with 45 senators, and she’s going to meet with more after.

And you’ve heard Republicans react well to her qualifications and her neutral methodology based in the facts of law — law and facts — based in the law and facts. And so, I want to be really clear: Our strategy doesn’t depend on Josh Hawley or any of the other senators who attacked her.

On the critical race theory, you know, she actually spoke to this yesterday as well — Judge Jackson. And to quote her, she said, when it comes to critical race theory, “never been something I’ve studied or relied on.” She applies the facts and the law when making decisions on the bench, not academic theory.

And I also saw PolitiFact already found an attack about base — about — based on this “false” after a senator claims she considered it when judging cases. In comments to students about academic subjects that may — that they may find interesting, she mentioned critical race theory in a list of other academic topics such as administrative law, constitutional law, negotiations, and contracts.

But again, I would refer you back to what she said herself about that.

Q But I guess the questions is: Did he think the questions from the senators that we mentioned about critical race theory and the other issues — the, you know, pornography, and whatever — did he think those questions were inappropriate, racist, whatever — however you want to say?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, it’s basically what I said, Michael. He’s very proud — he’s very proud of how she handled herself yesterday.

Q That doesn’t answer —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, I think — I think it does. We — I just told you he watched — he watched yesterday, and I just told you his reaction. We’re not going to go — we’re not going to break it down — break it down specific to details. I just laid out how he felt and why she was chosen and her bipartisan support that she’s getting.

Watch above via The White House.