Karine Jean-Pierre Refuses to Condemn Removal of Hostage Posters – Later Clarifies It’s ‘Wrong and Hurtful’
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked on Tuesday by NBC News’s Peter Alexander if the White House condemns the pulling down of posters showing Israeli civilians being held captive by Hamas. Jean-Pierre initially responded that she would “not [be] going to go into specifics on that particular thing” during the press briefing, but later released a statement condemning the act.
“A lot of videos of individuals who have been tearing down signs, many of these taking place in New York City, of Israelis presently being held hostage in Gaza. There have been some tense confrontations that have taken place there. Is the White House’s view that these actions should be condemned, the pulling of the pulling down of them, or that that’s a form of peaceful protest?” Alexander asked.
“Look, I haven’t, I’ve sort of kind of seen the reporting here and there. I think it was from last week,” Jean-Pierre replied.
Alexander pressed, “There’s been like 30 million videos that have got around.”
“No, I know. I hear you,” Jean-Pierre shot back, acknowledging awareness of the widely publicized trend. “I’m just not going to. We’re not going to. I’m not going.”
“Is that peaceful protest to pull that down?” Alexander pushed again.
“I’m just not going to go into specifics on that particular thing. What I can say there are real but violent protests and threats that are happening right now. And senior administration officials are aware of these reports which are deeply concerning. And that is something that we’re focused on,” Jean-Pierre concluded.
She later wrote on Twitter clarifying her answer and condemning the tearing down of the posters as “wrong and hurtful.”
“As a result of the Hamas terrorist attacks, communities and families are grieving. For the past month, the families of those who have been taken hostage have lived in agony. Tearing down pictures of their loved ones – who are being held hostage by Hamas – is wrong and hurtful,” Jean-Pierre’s statement read.
Watch the full clip above via C-SPAN.
