Are frustrations in the White House press corps mounting?
Based on the way in which White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was hounded by a group of reporters over her non-answers regarding President Joe Biden’s son, that certainly appears to be the case.
During Friday’s media briefing, CNN’s Jeremy Diamond asked about Hunter Biden, who made headlines this week with a plea agreement for tax and gun crimes.
“The president invited his son, Hunter, to the state dinner last night,” Diamond began. “I’m wondering if you could take us into the thinking and decision-making of why the president decided to …”
Jean-Pierre cut him off at that point, blurting out that she would not comment on a “personal family discussion.”
Unsatisfied with that response, Diamond pressed Jean-Pierre further.
“If Hunter Biden wasn’t the president’s son, would he have invited someone who had just reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors to dinner?” he asked.
“Well, a couple of things,” Jean-Pierre said. “Again, that’s his son. It’s a family member. It is not uncommon for family members to attend events at the White House. Look at past presidents. I’m sure you have, so that is not uncommon.
“As it relates to anything related to Hunter, I’m just not going to respond to it from here.”
It was at this point that Jean-Pierre began to lose the press room.
You can watch the briefing for yourself below:
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As a different reporter called Diamond’s question “not an unreasonable question to ask” and pressed the press secretary further, you could feel the tension rising in the room.
“I just don’t have anything to share outside of what my colleagues have shared … [I’m] just not going to comment from here,” Jean-Pierre said.
Multiple, unseen voices then peppered her for her lack of a substantive response.
Diamond’s line of questioning prompted three other voices (the reporter who followed up on Diamond’s question, a woman and Steven Nelson of the New York Post) to pile onto the press secretary.
Jean-Pierre soon snapped at the reporters.
“Steven,” she said, visibly perturbed. “Steven, I just answered the question. I just said … I just… It’s not up to you how I answer the question.”
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A fifth voice, this time shown to be a female reporter, asked Jean-Pierre to remind the reporters of what her colleague had to say about Hunter Biden’s case.
She stuck with her general evasiveness: “I would refer you to them and they will share their statement.”
As reporter after reporter continued to ask her about the Hunter Biden situation, the press secretary declined to answer.
