Karine Jean-Pierre Declines to Answer When Asked If Biden Believes ‘Replacement Theory’ Is ‘Being Amplified By Tucker Carlson’

Karine Jean-Pierre held her first daily briefing as White House Press Secretary on Monday, and Cecilia Vega of ABC News asked about the role “replacement theory” played in Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo that killed 10 people.

Specifically, Vega asked if the White House believes Fox News host Tucker Carlson is “amplifying” the conspiracy theory.

The 18-year-old suspect, who is White, allegedly drove to a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood and began shooting immediately after exiting his vehicle. In a online screed attributed to the suspect, he ranted about the “great replacement,” a conspiracy theory that originated with a French writer who claimed elites are replacing Europe’s White population with non-White immigrants.

That idea has gained traction among some right wing elements in the United States. Carlson has deployed the conspiracy theory on his show multiple times in the context of immigrants coming to the U.S.

The Fox News host stated in September that President Joe Biden “is chang[ing] the racial mix of the country… to reduce the political power of people whose ancestors lived here and dramatically decrease increase the proportion of Americans newly arrived from the Third World.”

Vega brought up replacement theory during Monday’s briefing.

“Does the White House believe these views are being amplified by Tucker Carlson?” she asked.

“Like I said, we are still figuring out the motivation of all of this and we are very clear,” Jean-Pierre replied. “Look, as you all know, watching what happened in Charlottesville was a major factor in the president deciding to run back in 2017. Many of those dark forces still exist today and the president is determined, as he was back then and he is determined today to make sure we fight back against both forces of hate and evil and violence so that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”

Watch above via C-SPAN.