Things have not been going swimmingly, per usual, over at the White House press briefing room.
Earlier this week, Karine Jean-Pierre, struggling mightily with the notes her handlers wrote for her in her binder, pronounced “Seminole” “Se-me-know-lee.”
Related: KJP vs. English: White House Diversity Hire’s Reading Problem
The Brandon entity made a surprise appearance to slur some pre-written words together like a sloppy drunk asking for one more before closing time.
Then Peter Doocy, in a viral clip, asked a very simple question — which Karine either pretended not to understand or earnestly didn’t understand because she’s too dumb (as dishonest as she is, my money is on the latter) — regarding why money for foreign aid can be immediately dispatched via executive action but money for American citizens swamped by natural disasters requires Congress.
Karine obfuscated and called his question “misinformation” (questions by definition are not presenting information but requesting it and can’t be “misinformation” but this technicality is way beyond Karine’s Hooked-on-Phonics proficiency)
Related: WATCH: KJP Tussles With Heroic African Reporter, Abruptly Ends Press Briefing
The most egregious performance of the week, however, came from DHS capo Alejandro Mayorkas, who simply declined to answer a very basic, fact-based question about whether a terror suspect accused of planning election day violence — which, if a MAGA “domestic terrorist” stood accused of, would be frontpage news for weeks — had, in fact, been granted a State Department-issued SIV visa, which the DHS previously claimed.
Mayorkas inartfully deflected because he was caught in an official lie and answering the question directly would have embarrassed him.
Via Whitehouse.gov (emphasis added):
Q Thanks, Karine. Mr. Secretary, it’s Jacqui Heinrich from Fox. I want to ask you about a different story.
This Afghan national who was working for the CIA in Afghanistan was arrested for planning an Election Day terror plot. He was brought to the U.S. after Afghanistan collapsed, your agency says, as part of the SIV program.
The State Department is telling us he was not part of the SIV program, which had strenuous vetting. They say he was never issued an SIV or immigrant visa, and DHS paroled him into the U.S. They further expect the court document to be updated to reflect this from the DOJ side.
So, Mr. Secretary, how was this man brought into the U.S.? What screening did he undergo? What did he apply for to get here?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Jacqui, I — I’m here in North Carolina communicating with the individuals who are still conducting search and rescue operations. Over 200 people have lost their lives in Hurricane Helene. We have reports that at least 10 individuals have lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Milton.
I’d be very pleased to answer your question in a different setting, but we’re here to talk about emergencies and the support that we can deliver to people in desperate need. Thank you.
Q I appreciate that, Mr. Secretary, but we’re getting conflicting answers from your agency and from the State Department about a man who was arrested for an Election Day terror plot. How do you not have those answers prepared?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Oh, Jacqui, that’s not what I said. What I said is I’d be pleased to discuss this issue at a different time, but I am here to speak about disasters that have impacted people’s lives in real time, and that is the subject that I am addressing today.
Q Can you assure people, though —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’re going to —
Q Mr. Secretary, can you assure people that appropriate steps have been taken to secure the country against these kinds of threats? Because the outstanding question is whether this man was radicalized before the U.S. government brought here — him here or afterward. And people should be concerned about that.
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Jacqui — Jacqui — Jacqui, your persistence in questioning can be matched my — by my persistence in answers. (Laughter.)
Impeached DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas REFUSES to comment on the Afghan national — imported into the country by Kamala and Biden — who was arrested for an Election Day terror plot:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 10, 2024
"Your persistence in questioning can be matched by my persistence in answers." pic.twitter.com/B6oMpwAi6N
He goes on later, of course, to talk about “disinformation,” etc. in the context of “securing” the election just a few questions later — so he clearly made up his little rule about only answering disaster-related questions, which none of the so-called “journalist” were willing or able to catch onto and follow up on in real-time.
