White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended President Joe Biden after he suggested to voters in Pennsylvania that his Uncle Bosie had been eaten by cannibals in New Guinea after his plane was “shot down” in the Pacific during World War II.
Jean-Pierre addressed the eyebrow-raising story during a press gaggle on Air Force One while en route to Philadelphia, claiming that the president was very proud of his uncle.
AUDIO:
Karine Jean-Pierre defends Biden's dubious story about his "Uncle Bosie" being eaten by "cannibals" in New Guinea: "It was a really proud moment for him" pic.twitter.com/mS5lc5dxX7
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 18, 2024
The conversation began with a reporter jokingly asking Jean-Pierre whether there was a “cannibal tab” in the binder she carried to press briefings, prompting a laugh.
“There’s no cannibal tab, what are you talking about?” she joked, adding, “Is that what you’re asking about?”
When the reporter confirmed that was his question, she continued, “You saw the president, he was incredibly proud of his uncle’s service in uniform. You saw him at the war memorial, it was incredibly emotional and important to him.”
She went on to repeat part of the story, saying that Biden’s uncle had “lost his life after the military aircraft he was on crashed in the Pacific Ocean off – near New Guinea” and pivoting quickly to attack Trump, saying that Biden didn’t believe service members were “suckers or losers.”
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When reporters pressed her about the veracity of the story, Jean-Pierre said that she had nothing to add other than the fact that “it was a really proud moment for him.”
The Pentagon’s account differs greatly from Biden’s, however:
For unknown reasons, this plane was forced to ditch in the ocean off the north coast of New Guinea. Both engines failed at low altitude, and the aircraft’s nose hit the water hard.
Three men failed to emerge from the sinking wreck and were lost in the crash. One crew member survived and was rescued by a passing barge. An aerial search the next day found no trace of the missing aircraft or the lost crew members.
Biden has claimed that the plane his uncle was on was “shot down” and that “the government went back when I went down there and they checked and found some parts of the plane.”