‘Can You Wait Your Turn?’ Jean-Pierre Scolds Reporter Shouting About Biden ‘So-Called Cheat Sheet’ — Then Blows Him Off

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre scolded a reporter shouting over his colleague about President Joe Biden’s press conference prep sheet, asking him to “wait your turn” — then blowing him off minutes later as he complained

At a joint press conference with  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Wednesday afternoon, Biden fielded questions from reporters and became a target of criticism when cameras picked up notecards with extremely detailed prep materials on them.

But some took their criticism further by alleging the questions were “pre-scripted” and that the White House had advance knowledge of the question that Los Angeles Times White House reporter Courtney Subramanian was going to ask — despite her paper’s statements to the contrary and significant differences in the questions.

At Thursday’s press briefing, Fox News White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich acknowledged the denial, but asked why the president needed the prep sheet:

JACQUI HEINRICH: And the L.A. Times that their reporter did not submit any questions in advance of yesterday’s press conference. So to people who saw that pocket card. Can you explain how that ended up there and why the president needed something like that?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: So just to just to step back and I’m actually glad you asked that question. Clearly, I would let the reporter for the Los Angeles Times speak for herself. It is entirely normal for a president to be briefed on reporters who will be asking questions at a press conference, and issues that we expect they might ask about. It is not surprising that yesterday we would anticipate questions that he did receive, right, on the visit with them, with the South Korean president as the South Korean president was sitting standing to his to his right, or about 2024. That was completely expected, or about the debt ceiling, which he took questions at the end. Shouted questions at the end. And, of course, we would note those issues to him those issues to him would likely come up. And let’s not forget, we do these briefings every day. And a lot of the questions that you, that you all tell me, that’s how we brief him as well. You all ask me, that’s how we brief him as well. So, look, we we do not have specific questions in advance. That’s not something that we do. And in fact, I would point out the question that was asked was different than what was on the card that you all saw.

Jean-Pierre continued to answer in detail for several minutes, explaining why each reporter was selected and other facets of briefing prep.

Gray TV’s Jon Decker then began to interrupt, keying in on Jean-Pierre’s earlier comment:

JON DECKER: Is it your contention, Karine,

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not I’m not taking, Jacqui is not done…

JON DECKER: …that the question that was on the so-called cheat sheet

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Your colleague is not done.

JON DECKER: Was not similar to the question that was asked at the press conference?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Your colleague. Your colleague is not done.

JON DECKER: I, it’s a very reasonable question I’m asking…

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: No, but… I hear you. Can you can you wait your turn?

JON DECKER: Absolutely.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Thank you, Jon. I appreciate that. I really do.

JACQUI HEINRICH: And just to be clear to people, skeptics who saw the card and saw that question number one, and might think that that is a signal that it was pre-organized. Did the president have other questions that he was prepared, you know, had similar talking points in case he was asked something on other topics in that same…?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Jacqui, I’m going to be as someone who is part of his of the prep briefing with the president for these press conference as his press secretary. We talk about an array of of topics that could potentially come up. And that’s what we do. Just at the end, there was shouted questions and he took those shouted questions. But we also had a sense that, hey, you know, you might get something on the debt ceiling, which makes a lot of sense, which is one of the news of the day. So we cover an array of topics.

After Heinrich had finished her questions, a press aide notified Jean-Pierre they were running out of time, and she said she’d take a question from the back. Decker complained forcefully:

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Let me just take a question from the back.

JON DECKER: (inaudible)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I just took a bunch of questions on this. I want.

JON DECKER: You literally just told them you’d come back…

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. You also, you also. But you screamed.

JON DECKER: You literally just told me you’d come back to me.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I said, wait your turn. But now we’re running out of time. Go ahead…

JON DECKER: So I don’t get a turn at all.

Watch above via The White House.