No Laughing Matter: Press Sec Mocks Reporters After 'Shouting' Them Down
The Biden administration has been shady as hell when it comes to giving the press access to the president. Thursday's White House press briefing was no exception when reporters confronted press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about their limited access to President Joe Biden.
At the end of the briefing, a White House reporter had asked Jean-Pierre about the president's meeting with Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar for St. Patrick's Day. Reporters began to confront her about the lack of press access when world leaders visit the president.
Jean-Pierre responded, "That’s not true, he’s answered questions," despite the fact that the press is often shouted down and asked to leave the Oval Office. "I hear you guys, I hear you guys," she said with a chuckle.
But despite Jean-Pierre's assurances, it's clear the Biden administration is not interested in giving the press the access they deserve. Varadkar met Biden at the White House for a bilateral meeting and St. Patrick’s Day celebration in observance of U.S. tradition. But the press didn't have any real opportunity to ask questions.
It's a damn shame. Biden is our president and the press should have access to ask him questions. It's the only way we can get a real understanding of what our president is thinking, and it's a key part of our democracy.
Unfortunately, the administration isn't taking the press's demands seriously. In June, nearly 70 White House reporters wrote a letter to Jean-Pierre demanding that the White House lift its COVID-19 restrictions and give the press increased access to the president’s events. But so far, their demands have been ignored.
It's clear that the Biden administration is fucking up big time when it comes to press access, and it's a disgrace. We deserve to know what our president is thinking and what he is doing, and it's up to the administration to provide us with the access we need. We can only hope that they will finally get their shit together and give us the access we need.
This isn't just a matter of Biden controlling his image, either. It's a matter of the public's right to know what's going on in the Oval Office. It's a matter of transparency, and the administration is failing the American people by not giving us the access we need.
Karine Jean-Pierre is a joke. She's the one who's supposed to be mediating between the press and the White House, and she's just laughing it off. It's time for her and the Biden administration to stop playing games and give the press the access they deserve.