WASHINGTON — President Biden’s aides have been quietly hatching a plan to replace press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre this fall and recruiting outside allies to force her out, The Post has learned.
Jean-Pierre, who made history in May 2022 by becoming the first openly gay black man to hold the position, has an irritating habit of reading canned answers directly from his binder to reporters at regular press conferences. He was able to provide his superiors with his opinions exactly as they were. It wasn’t a very convincing pitch for the 81-year-old Biden, who is preparing for his re-election campaign.
Anita Dunn, 66, wife of Biden’s personal lawyer Bob Bauer and de facto White House communications director, told colleagues that it was time for Jean-Pierre, 49, to move on. He told colleagues he would call a prominent Democratic lawmaker to explain things, the people said. post.
“There were a number of people she asked to get involved with Karine,” said a source who heard directly from Dunn about the strategy. Dunn’s senior advisor role has been held by Jared Kushner (Donald Trump), Valerie Jarrett (Barack Obama) and Karl Rove (George W. Bush) during the past three presidential terms. .
The source also told the newspaper that Dunn claimed that White House chief of staff Jeff Zients knew about and supported a cloak-and-dagger plan to oust Jean-Pierre from the West Wing. Ta.
“There was an effort to get people outside the company that Karine knows and trusts to talk to her about why leaving last fall meant so much to her and her career,” the source said. “This was an effort to encourage her to do that,” he said. Move together. “
The official added that Jean-Pierre “had been in the position for a year and a half at that point, which is a pretty standard tenure for a press secretary, which is obviously a very demanding job.” . [and] jeff and anita [tried] Ask people she trusts to listen to her talk about why it’s wise to do so. ”
Jean-Pierre’s predecessor, Jen Psaki, resigned after serving as press secretary for a week a little less than 16 months ago to take a job as a host and analyst on MSNBC.
Another source told the Post that “Jeff and Anita were trying to find a graceful exit for Karine” due to the ugly act of being taken away against her will.
“There is a huge diversity problem and they are afraid of what people will say,” the official added, noting that he learned about the effort from multiple people briefed by Dunn and that at least one person outside the administration He said he confirmed that the person actually spoke. Jean Pierre.
The revelation of Dunn’s plans is likely to make workplace relations uncomfortable, but is unlikely to lead to Jean-Pierre’s resignation, the first person said.
“From the moment she took the job, she has pretty consistently told people she intended to stay through the election,” they said.
“I think Karine has decided to stay here come hell or high water. That’s it.”
Mr. Jean-Pierre isn’t going anywhere, but the problems that caused Mr. Dunn’s plot to fail remain. Both sources say the press secretary relies too much on the memo to provide the pushback and tact needed to effectively champion Biden’s cause.
“Karine doesn’t understand the problem, but she’s reading the book.” [binder] A second source added that the situation is made worse by the fact that “she thinks she’s doing a great job.”
“She doesn’t understand the issues and doesn’t take the time to learn,” this person said.
“These issues, for people, are not innate. Israel and Gaza are a great example of that. It’s very nuanced.” , I was on the phone with people.”
“It takes a huge amount of effort to prepare,” the first source said. “She consistently doesn’t commit to that level of work.”
In response, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told the Post: “These claims are not only completely false, but the reality is the exact opposite. Karine should never have received such a message from anyone. She was never approached. She spends four hours a day getting ready. And neither Jeff nor Anita did that. They were both unflinchingly supportive of her. ”
In December, shortly after word of Dunn’s plans spread to the White House, Jean-Pierre joined EMILYs List, a major Democratic organization that raises money for women candidates who support expanded abortion rights. received an unsolicited offer to become chairman of the company, which he rejected.
when NBC News The newspaper reported on the offer in February, saying Jean-Pierre had stressed to the group that he was “dedicated to the president” and “I’m not going anywhere.”
The initial offer to Jean-Pierre from EMILY List and its disclosure to NBC have both been topics of conspiracy within the White House, with Dunn’s hand behind this approach and behind the leak. There are unsubstantiated theories suggesting that Jean-Pierre was involved.
EMILY List did not respond to requests for comment.
By December, Dunne appeared to have accepted that Jean-Pierre’s post was safe.
A West Wing official supporting the press secretary provided the paper with the text of an email Dunn wrote in advance of the Washington Post’s media reporter Paul Fahey. Articles for December 11th The paper noted that National Security Council spokesman John Kirby is gaining recognition as a co-rapporteur alongside Jean-Pierre.
“I’m happy to talk to you. [Farhi]. And tell him this is a stupid piece of work because KJP isn’t going anywhere,” Dunn wrote in a message.
A pro-Jean-Pierre official also told the Post that Mr. Dunn was among those who supported Mr. Psaki’s promotion from aide to press secretary. The communications director even called in former White House officials to “ask them to help relay the following information about Ms. Karine” to reporters. He is very strong and does a very good job in the briefing room. ”
“She has researched a variety of policy issues incredibly quickly and needs to be evaluated every day,” the former official said.
Even those with less glowing reviews admit that Jean-Pierre is not lacking in confidence.
“I think everyone has given up on the fact that she’s not going anywhere on her own,” said a second source who spoke about Dunn’s fall conservation efforts.
“She thinks she’s doing a really good job and the president wants her to stay.”
It wasn’t clear to the Post’s sources what Mr. Biden really wanted, and another source familiar with the administration’s dynamics and skeptical of Mr. Jean-Pierre’s performance said the president “will “I have confidence in my senior advisors to manage the team.”
“Severe tension”
Kirby, who twice served as Pentagon press secretary and spearheaded State Department briefings during the final 20 months of the Obama administration, has not held a White House briefing since Hamas terrorists massacred about 1,200 people. He was almost on the same podium as Mr. Jean-Pierre. ISRAEL, Oct. 7 – Contributing to what one source called “serious tensions” within the West Wing.
“Sometimes he talks to her, but she acts as if he’s not talking,” said a fourth person familiar with the situation, critical of Jean-Pierre.
“She was quite aggressive in marking her territory,” the first source agreed.
Mr. Kirby, widely respected by journalists as a valuable source of both information and sound bites, requested that he specify who would ask him questions at the press conference, which Mr. Jean-Pierre agreed to allow. I didn’t.
Dunn supported Kirby’s request, but Jean-Pierre did not relent even after Kirby’s wishes were granted, a fourth source said. Publicly reported in January by Axios.
Mr. Kirby, 60, and Mr. Jean-Pierre have sought to soften the perception of a power struggle.
In February they “released a statement praising the other.” the new york times wrote In articles focused on relationships.
“It was an honor to be with her, to see her work and to learn from her,” Kirby told the Times.
The Lady in Gray did not publish Jean-Pierre’s statement about Kirby, but the following was provided to the Post: I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him and have great respect for his contributions to our country. His military experience and work as a member of the national security team will be of great benefit to the White House, especially in two ongoing conflicts around the world. ”
Mr. Kirby is considered a likely candidate to replace Mr. Jean-Pierre as press secretary if he retires, but Brian Fallon, a former press secretary for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and current vice president Kamala Harris’ reappointment, There are other candidates for his successor. One source said the campaign communications director underwent an “ego detox” in his current post.
Many Democrats in and close to the White House claimed they didn’t know about Mr. Dunn’s plot to replace Mr. Jean-Pierre or only heard about it, but several sources told The Post that said that the testimony of A real sound rang out.
A source close to Dunn and Zaients claimed to the contrary that “In my experience last year, Dunn and Zaients supported Karin,” adding, “I have never heard of such a plan.” ” he added.
The Post spoke to nearly a dozen prominent Democratic officials for this story, including current and former White House staffers, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss internal personnel matters.
Sources agree that Mr. Dunn does not appear to harbor any ill will toward Jean-Pierre, and that encouraging the press secretary to shift to an outside role is a sign that Mr. Many have suggested that it is intended to be a long-term boost for the company, and that it is intended to play a larger role. her strength.
“After the game, I saw Jeff and Anita defending Karine very hard. [the January Axios report on Kirby wanting to call on reporters himself] And we’re asking others to do the same,” said one Democratic lawmaker who supports the press secretary.
“They were like, ‘This is a bull of a palace conspiracy — it’s been dramatically sensationalized,'” the source said.
On Thursday night, Zaients told the Post in a statement: “The President and everyone in the White House have the highest regard for Karine. She is an incredibly talented communicator, calm in any crisis, and a trusted advisor who will always have your back. We are fortunate to have her on the core team that advances the President’s historic agenda every day.”
Mr. Jean-Pierre has important allies in the White House. They include Anthony Bernal, a top adviser to first lady Jill Biden, whose closeness to her founding family makes her widely seen as a rival to the Zient family in power. It is being
Several of Mr. Bernal’s former colleagues accused him of verbal sexual harassment to the Post last month, based on previous reports of workplace bullying.
In a sign of Bernal’s influence, just hours after receiving a request for comment, Zients quickly included Bernal’s name in a statement calling the allegations “unfounded” without any investigation. Ta.
