‘I’m Not Going to Speak About the Opinion of the Government,’ Government Spokesperson Says

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Tuesday suggested that it was not her job to speak on behalf of the government.

During a State Department briefing Tuesday afternoon, Bruce was asked a question about Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s trip to the West Bank. More specifically, she was asked if U.S. foreign policy aligned with Johnson’s claim that “Judea and Samaria” belong to the Jewish people. Johnson cited the Bible as the basis for that belief.

Bruce initially tried to create from distance from Johnson’s comments by stating it was just his opinion:

Well, I have said this about other diplomats who’ve spoken their minds — including Ambassador Huckabee. Certainly, that’s not — if there’s a policy in that regard, you would hear it from me. So I think I can say that I’m not going to speak for him or characterize his words in any certain ways; but clearly that is his opinion.

The reporter pressed further, asking if Johnson’s opinion was also shared by the U.S. Bruce — whose very job it is to speak on behalf of the government — then stated that she would not be giving the opinion of the government.

“Well, I’m not going to speak about opinion of the government,” Bruce said, “and if there’s a policy regarding the status in any region of the world — but certainly in the Middle East — I would wait to hear it from Secretary Rubio and President Trump.”

Watch above via C-SPAN