White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got into a spat with CBS News reporter Ed O’Keefe on Wednesday about allegations that top-secret documents had been found at the president’s former think tank office in Washington, D.C. When the documents were first discovered in early November during Jean-daily Pierre’s briefing,
O’Keefe questioned the press secretary about whether she was aware of any discussions occurring inside the White House regarding the materials.
I anticipate there will be a lot of inquiries from you guys, so have a look. I can understand it, Jean-Pierre said in return. You guys will undoubtedly have a lot of questions concerning the specifics and the procedure.
I can also guarantee that I’ll stick to the president’s plan. To what my fellow White House counsel colleagues have said, I won’t add anything. I would advise you to get in touch with them if you require any additional information or facts. Here, I’m attempting to be cautious. I want to make sure we handle this the right way.
O’Keefe went on to discuss a commitment made by President Joe Biden in the early months of 2021 to “acknowledge” and “correct” his mistakes.
You are the one here talking to us about this, so. Because of this, we are asking you. Therefore, let’s simply remember that,” O’Keefe advised Jean-Pierre.
Ed, Ed, Ed, we don’t need this — we work really well together, Jean-Pierre interrupted. This kind of dispute is not something we need to get into. Anything you want to ask, I’ll do my best to answer.
We’re laying that out in part because you’re outlining your portion of the effort. Here, we’re establishing our obligation, which is to inquire, O’Keefe said.
“I’m aware, but all I’m doing is proposing that we not argue. Jean-Pierre replied, “Ed, you don’t have to quarrel with me here.
The issue started after it was revealed that secret papers had been found at the Penn Biden Center in November 2022 and had been swiftly turned over to the National Archives. Later on Wednesday, it was disclosed that Biden’s legal team had found further secret documents. New criticism of the president resulted from this.
Republicans have expressed outrage over the discovery of the records. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and a Republican from Kentucky, has opened an investigation and sent a letter to the National Archives and the White House Counsel’s Office requesting documents and communications.
After leaving his position as vice president, President Biden stored extremely private documents in a cupboard at his personal office for months, but NARA kept this information from both Committee Republicans and the wider public. NARA discovered these recordings days before the 2022 midterm elections, but the agency chose not to alert the public that President Biden might have been breaking the law, Comer wrote. The Committee is worried that President Biden’s careless handling of sensitive materials compromised sources and procedures.
The discovery “surprised” the president, he told reporters on Tuesday. When Biden received a briefing on the secret materials was not something the White House would comment on.
staff