White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre went ballistic after several reporters asked her about House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggesting an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
During the press briefing, KJP was asked about McCarthy making headlines earlier this week when he said House Republicans launching an investigation into the president and his family “is rising to the level of an impeachment inquiry.”
The briefing heated up when CNN White House correspondent Kevin Liptak asked Jean-Pierre: “The House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, is talking more about starting an impeachment investigation into the President. What’s your response to that? And if he did that, would that make any kind of cooperation with the House impossible going forward?”
KJP responded: “Look, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals. I’m not going to get into what the House Republicans may or may not do. What I can speak to is what the President is focused on. He’s focused on real priorities that American families care about. He’s focused on the American family, but they want to focus on his family. They can do whatever it is that they wish to do, but we’re going to stay focused. We’re going to stay steadfast.”
“And there are two examples of — today — of how the President is moving forward. I just talked about the mental health — the mental health event that he — that the President just had and announcing actions to expand access to mental health care and tackle this crisis, which is, as you all know, a critical part of his Unity Agenda that he’s spoken about for the past two years and will continue to do so. And let’s not forget, earlier today, Emmett Till and what we were able to do, what the President was able to do, to make sure that there’s a monument that continues — a monument for Emmett Till and his mom to continue to — to shed light on that part of our history and to tell that story so we can move forward,” she added.
KJP continued: “That’s going to be the pr- — that’s going to be the President’s focus. He wants to work in a bipartisan way. He does. We have been able to do that. We have the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We have the CHIPS and Science Act. We have the PACT Act for veterans. We have — we have found ways — I think more than 300 pieces of legislation that the President has signed in the past two years has been bipartisan. That’s what the President wants to do. That’s how he wants to move forward. And that’s going to be our focus.”
Then, KJP snapped again when reporter Fred Lucas of the Daily Signal asked a similar question. Jean-Pierre interrupted Lucas several times, talked over him as he tried to get his question out, and dismissed him numerous times:
FRED LUCAS: And one more on the — Speaker McCarthy’s comments on impeachment inquiry. His point seems to be —
JEAN-PIERRE: Wait, say that again.
FRED LUCAS: Speaker McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry comments. He seems to be making the point that he thinks there’s been enough mounting evidence to at least have an inquiry on this.
JEAN-PIERRE: I’ve already spoken to this —
FRED LUCAS: Can — yeah, can —
JEAN-PIERRE: — twice before though.
FRED LUCAS: But can you at least say whether you agree or disagree that there’s enough mounting evidence (inaudible)?
JEAN-PIERRE: I answered two of your colleagues this — this question about what Speaker McCarthy is going to do, not — not going to do, how House Republicans are going to move forward. I just don’t have anything else to share.
