WATCH: Jen Psaki Reduces Question On Biden Tax Plan to Smoking Wreck — The Week in Psaki

Tommy ChristopherApr 17th, 2021, 8:37 am
 

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The highlight of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s briefings this week may well have been her dissection of a reporter’s question speculating about the effects of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposals.

There were many high nd lowlights this week, including one reporter who asked if President Joe Biden is “okay” with higher utility rates that might occur.

Psaki explained that the White House is not concerned about the possibility of utility companies raising rates to compensate for a 28 percent corporate tax rate, which prompted this exchange, during which the interrogator became the interrogated, and wound up arguing against himself:

Q But even though — I mean, utility companies did — maybe it’s, arguably, partially for show, but they did announce, you know, rate decreases after the 27 [2017] tax law passed, and attributed it to the tax law passing. You know —

MS. PSAKI: Is there some data that you’re expecting from economists, suggesting that will be the case? Or are you just getting ahead of what might happen when the bill passes?

Q I mean, I’m just getting ahead of that. Like, there were those announcements. You said, like, they didn’t have the intended effects, but utility companies did say, “Hey, our — you know, we can pass on this lower rate to consumers through their utility bills.” And it’s —

MS. PSAKI: And have utility companies said — I have not seen it if they have — that they would raise the cost, if this bill passed, to invest in infrastructure and get lead out of the pipes to make sure there’s clean drinking water and create millions of jobs?

Q I’m not aware of any specific announcements like that. But I’m just saying that was the — one of the results that occurred after the 2017 law passed.

MS. PSAKI: Well, then I don’t think we have to anticipate it as an issue quite yet.

As the reporter noted himself, the statements by utility companies were self-serving, which raises doubts about whether they’d welcome the kind of publicity that would accompany an announcement in the other direction.

The week began with a reporter shopping John Cornyn’s dopey tweet about how Biden isn’t really in charge because he doesn’t do batshit tweets or make a nuisance of himself on whatever the equivalent of Fox & Friends would be.

“I can confirm the president does not spend his time tweeting conspiracy theories, and spends his time working on behalf of the American people,” Psaki said.

Perhaps the dumbest exchange of the week — a tall order — was when a reporter accused the Biden administration of contributing to vaccine hesitancy by wearing masks even though they’ve been vaccinated. Psaki was far too polite, in my view, but appropriately confused.

The Squad came to the briefing room to roost when Psaki had to tell reporters that no, President Biden does not agree there should be “no more policing.”

Psaki was firm when an anti-choice reporter tried to spew lies about Title X, and even turned it into an opportunity to educate reporters about the law’s benefits. Eventually, she had to shut the dude down.

Another reporter tried to stretch the recent news about Russian bounties to suggest that President Biden should apologize to Trump for attacking him over the story. Psaki was not receptive to that suggestion.

It’s still not known whether Trump was briefed on the Russian bounties, at least not from any credible source.

Psaki also had a handy zinger for Republicans who criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for supposed inaction on the border, literally while she was holding a roundtable on the border.

The week ended with a right-wing reporter trying to call Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s manager because the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations talked about slavery and white supremacy in a speech. Psaki cut her down like a sushi chef.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

Tags: