‘We Don’t Need To Have This Kind Of Confrontation!’ Jean-Pierre Bristles at Reporter’s Scolding About Biden Classified Docs
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre bristled at CBS News White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe’s confrontational scolding about the job of reporters to ask questions about President Joe Biden’s classified documents flap.
News broke Monday that President Biden’s lawyers discovered a small number of documents — from his time as VP — bearing classified marking while clearing out a private office last fall and immediately reported and returned the documents to the federal government. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Biden aides discovered more such documents at a second location.
At Wednesday’s White House briefing, Jean-Pierre was bombarded with questions about the documents — which were referenced over fifty times during the 58-minute briefing — including an aggressive grilling by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy.
Jean-Pierre largely stuck to the public comments of the president and his White House counsel, frustration over which bubbled over in an exchange with O’Keefe. Seconds after Jean-Pierre told O’Keefe, “I understand you guys are going to have a lot of questions on this,” the CBS reporter delivered a short speech defending the asking of questions “because that’s our job”:
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But I — but also, I just wanted to clear that up.
I — look, I understand you guys are going to have a lot of questions on this. I get that. I know you guys are going to have a lot of questions on process and specifics. And what I can tell you is that I’m not going to go beyond what the President laid out. I’m not going to go beyond what my White House Counsel colleagues have stated. I would refer you to them for any other specifics or additional information.
I want to be prudent here. I want to make sure that we do this in an appropriate —
ED O’KEEFE: Okay. You’re not going to answer the questions —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — the appropriate way.
ED O’KEEFE: — but we’re going to ask them, because that’s our job. And so be it. So —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I understand. And — and my job is to answer your questions.
ED O’KEEFE: So here we go.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So here we go. Let’s go.
ED O’KEEFE: One of the reasons we ask this is because on, like, day two of this administration, when he swore all of you in, the President said, quote, “I’m going to make mistakes. When I make them, I’ll acknowledge them and I’ll tell you, and I’ll need your help to help me correct them.”
So you’re the one here —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, and I —
ED O’KEEFE: — talking to us about this. That’s why we’re asking you. So, let’s just remember that.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Ed —
ED O’KEEFE: When he was asked yesterday —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Ed — Ed — Ed, I am — we don’t need — we don’t need to have this. We work very well together.
ED O’KEEFE: We do.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t — we don’t need to have this kind of confrontation. Ask your question, and I will answer them the best that I can.
ED O’KEEFE: Well, part of the reason — part of the reason we’re laying that out is because you’re laying out your part of the job.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know —
ED O’KEEFE: We’re laying out our part of the job, which is to ask the questions.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know. But I’m just saying that we don’t need to have contention —
ED O’KEEFE: And we know there will be people who will be watching and wonder.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You don’t need to be contentious with me here, Ed.
ED O’KEEFE: The President was asked yesterday but did not answer this part of the question. Why didn’t he or someone in the White House inform the American people when these documents were discovered on November 2nd? Did it have anything to do — because people are asking this part of it — did it have anything to do with the fact that the election was just a few days away?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, Ed, this is under review by the Department of Justice. It is literally under review right now. As we are — as I am talking to you, it is under review. So, I’m not going to get beyond the process. I’m not going to get beyond what the President said.
Look, the White House Counsel, my colleagues in the White House Counsel laid out very detailed information about what — this particular issue on Monday. You all have that. I’m just not going to get beyond that. The Department of Justice is independent, as you know. They’re — they’re doing a review. And I want to be prudent here.
And it would be more appropriate —
ED O’KEEFE: But there’s nothing stopping you —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It would be more appropriate for my colleagues in the White House Counsel’s Office to address this.
ED O’KEEFE: Then we welcome them to the briefing room, and we hope they can come soon to discuss this.
But there’s another thing. There was nothing stopping the President of the United States from disclosing the discovery of these classified documents in his former office before it was under Justice Department review.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you —
ED O’KEEFE: So, why didn’t he disclose it?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you right now is what the President is — share with you what the President said to all of you — right? — which is he was surprised by this. He definitely, truly respects the process here. And also, when it comes to classified, he takes classified documents very seriously.
And, again, I’m going to leave you to the information that the President provided to all of you and also — just yesterday, in front — in front of many of you or your colleagues — and also what my White House Counsel colleagues shared on Monday.
Watch above via The White House.
