(Daily Mail) White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed Tuesday she has been ‘forthcoming’ as she was grilled about the classified documents found in Joe Biden‘s possession – but she repeatedly referred questions to other federal entities.
She argued the president has been answering questions on the matter – on the same day he sat, smiling in silence, as he ignored inquiries being asked by the press. In an Oval Office meeting with Netherlands‘ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Biden smirked as shouting reporters were led from the room.
Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre argued that ‘we have addressed multiple questions from here. Multiple questions have been answered by the President.’
The press secretary has been in defensive mode – with her answers getting snappier and snappier – as the White House has struggled to explain how the various tranches of classified material were discovered in Biden’s now shuttered D.C. think tank and in his Wilmington, Delaware, home.
Additionally, officials have struggled to explain why the discoveries weren’t promptly disclosed publicly, saying they followed a ‘process’ and immediately notified the National Archives, a private federal agency.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been under fire as she deflects questions on the classified material found in President Joe Biden’s personal possession.
Biden last spoke about the documents on Thursday when he read a prepared statement on the matter. He also defended having the documents in the same garage as his Corvette, noting his classic car was kept locked up.
Mainly it is Jean-Pierre facing the fire in her daily press briefings, which have been consumed with questions about the classified documents and the circumstances surrounding their discovery and disclosure.
Even as she brings in other speakers – such as Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry and Head Coach Steve Kerr on Tuesday – the administration hasn’t been able to change the topic from the classified documents.
As the president lets aides speak for him, the White House has faced repeated questions over its lack of transparency about when the documents were discovered.
‘I think I’ve been very clear about this. We have answered questions on this at this podium,’ Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre – under repeated questioning – finally admitted her press office didn’t know about the existence of the classified files until CBS News contacted the White House for comment on its story that sparked the administration’s public admission they had found the documents.
In total, there have been four discoveries of classified materials: at the Penn-Biden Center, a think tank in Washington, D.C.; in Biden’s garage at his Wilmington, Del., home; one document discovered in his ‘personal library’ in the same home and then four more documents found in his home.
All date back to Biden’s time as vice president under Barack Obama but the White House won’t answer as to what topics the materials cover.
The administration waited until January – until well past the November midterm election – to announce documents found at Biden’s DC think tank on November 4th, which was well before voters went to the polls.
Some of the documents were found in Biden’s garage in his Wilmington home – where he also keeps his classic Corvette
