Psaki Blasted for Statement on ‘Personal Safety’ of Supreme Court Justices After Protesters Marched by Justices’ Homes

Zachary LeemanMay 9th, 2022, 5:30 pm
 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is facing right-wing criticism after responding to weekend protests that ended up outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh.

In a Monday tweet, Psaki said President Joe Biden “strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism.”

She added that judges should not be fearing for their “personal safety.”

“Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.”

While speaking during a Monday press briefing, Psaki was asked if protests outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices are “appropriate” and “productive,” the press secretary reiterated her condemnation of any protests that incorporate “intimidation of any kind.”

It’s a much stronger statement than those Psaki was making ahead of the “walk by” protests over the weekend. The liberal group Ruth Sent US had listed the streets that multiple Supreme Court justices lived on following the recent opinion draft leak that suggested Roe v. Wade could be overturned. The list included two exact addresses and was removed by Google before the protest for violating their terms of service.

When asked by Peter Doocey of Fox News about the apparent doxxing of the judges last week, Psaki noted Biden would want “privacy to be respected.”

“These activists posted a map with the home addresses of the Supreme Court justices. Is that the kind of thing the president wants to help your side make their point?” Doocey said at one point.

Psaki said there was no official White House position on “where people protest.”

“We want it, of course, to be peaceful, and certainly the president would want people’s privacy to be respected,” she added.

Her statements last week versus this week resulted in numerous critics blasting the press secretary for only condemning the protests after the fact.

Fox News contributor Sarah A. Carter accused Psaki and the president of giving “permission” for protesters to go to the homes of judges.

“You can’t walk this one back … shameful,” she tweeted.

“But he’s not telling the protesters to go home and he didn’t say a word BEFORE the justices’s homes were targeted,” conservative author and radio host Dana Loesch tweeted.

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Zachary Leeman

Zachary Leeman covered pop culture and politics at outlets such as Breitbart, LifeZette, BizPac Review, HollywoodinToto, and others. He is the author of the novel Nigh. He joined Mediaite in 2022.