The Biden administration denies there was a secret internal plan to remove White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a plan first reported on Thursday. new york post.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates forcefully rejected the claims from multiple sources familiar with the plan, including Anita Dunn, a longtime senior adviser to Mr. Biden. With support from White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, he recruited prominent figures outside the Democratic Party to urge Jean-Pierre to voluntarily introduce the bill. her exit.
“These claims are not only completely false, but the reality is the opposite. Karine was never approached with such a message. She spends four hours every day preparing. And neither Jeff nor Anita did any of that. They both responded undaunted and supported her,” Bates told the Post.
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President Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Getty Images)
The paper’s sources say Jean-Pierre’s bosses are unhappy with her habit of reading prepared answers straight from a binder, an argument that is pertinent for President Biden as he prepares to launch his re-election campaign. It was deemed insufficient to do so.
“All press secretaries use binders. Why is she singled out?” Bates added.
One person familiar with the matter told the Post that the effort involved asking outsiders who knew and trusted Jean-Pierre that now was the right time to move forward and that they believed it was good for Jean-Pierre’s career. This included trying to convince him that it made sense for him to resign after serving roughly the same term as his previous secretary. —About a year and a half.
Another source told the Post: “Jeff and Anita were trying to find a clean exit for Karine to avoid being taken away against her will.”
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Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn and White House chief of staff Jeff Zients (Getty Images)
“There is a big problem with diversity and they are afraid of what people will say,” the source said, adding that at least one person outside the administration has spoken to Jean-Pierre, but plans are still being drawn up. He added that it has not been done. It was unlikely that she would do so, leading to her resignation.
“From the moment she took the job, she’s been pretty consistent in telling people that she intended to stay on through the campaign,” the source said. She said: “I think Karine has decided that come hell or high water, she’s going to stay here. That’s it.”
Both sources went on to tell the Post that the press secretary relied too much on memos, failed to provide the quick rebuttals required in the role, and claimed the press secretary “doesn’t understand the issues.” Jean-Pierre thinks he’s doing a great job.
A February NBC News report detailed that Jean-Pierre rejected a job offer he received in December from the pro-abortion group EMILYs List, according to an email shared with the Post. It appears that Dunn accepted Jean-Pierre’s offer in the same month. Pierre wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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Presidential Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks with First Lady Jill Biden during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“KJP is not going anywhere, so this is a ridiculous article,” Dunn wrote in an email to a Washington Post reporter regarding another article.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for additional comment.
The White House’s denial about Jean-Pierre comes as Biden receives more bad news heading into his re-election bid.
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CNN’s latest poll, released Sunday, shows former President Trump has a continued advantage in head-to-head competition (49% to 43%), and his lead increases to 9 when independent candidate Robert F. is included. points (42% vs. 33%). Kennedy Jr. (16%), Dr. Cornel West (4%), and Green Party candidate Jill Stein (3%).
Additionally, 55% said they view Trump’s presidency as a success, while 61% say they view Biden’s presidency as a failure.
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