Recent reports suggest tensions between reporters and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre have only increased following President Biden’s poor debate performance.
“We were spoiled by Jen,” White House reporter Axios said: “She made my first year and a half a joy,” he said, referring to Biden’s former press secretary, Jen Psaki.
There was uproar in the briefing room on Monday when Jean-Pierre repeatedly refused to name-check neurologist Dr. Kevin Canard. Specializing in Parkinson’s disease. Cannard has met with Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, at the White House several times over the past year.
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Recent reports suggest tensions between reporters and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre have only increased following President Biden’s poor debate performance. (Reuters/Evelyn Hochstein)
The White House said Canard and O’Connor met for a neurological exam as part of Biden’s annual medical examination.
Several reporters, notably Ed O’Keefe of CBS, criticized Jean-Pierre for not naming the doctor during one of the most divisive moments of his presidency.
The two sides engaged in a lengthy exchange, with O’Keefe receiving support from NBC correspondent and current White House Correspondents’ Association president Kelly O’Donnell, who also stressed that Cannard’s visitor records were publicly available.
“There is no justification for such an aggressive exchange with me,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital that Jean-Pierre “answers tough questions every day with care and represents President Biden and his policies to the American people with grace and integrity.”
“President Biden has given more than 47 interviews this year alone and met with the White House press corps more than 580 times, more than any other president in the modern era,” Bates said in a statement. “He has also proudly fought for the rights of journalists around the world and spoke forcefully about the ‘vital’ role of the press in American democracy without denigrating the press as the ‘enemy of the people.'”
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A senior White House official defended Jean-Pierre in a statement, saying, “She spends more time with the President than with his family, and the President provides her with a lot of information. Some reporters are not pleased that she is not being forthcoming.” (AP/Evan Vucci)
“Consistent with these values, his team has restored daily press conferences and is working hard to ensure they are informative and fact-based, including releasing more policy documents than at any time in American history,” the statement continued.
“Reporters have an important role to play in asking for more information, so we’re careful to listen to them,” Bates said. “Joe Biden has always said it’s natural for reporters to ask about his age, and he has always been confident in communicating his values and policies to the American people.”
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A senior White House official also defended Jean-Pierre, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital, “She spends more time with the President than with his family, and the President provides her with a wealth of information. Some reporters are not pleased that she is not disclosing information.”
Fox News’ Lindsay Cornick contributed to this report.
