During a “Fox & Friends” segment Monday, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy defended White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, whom the reporter consistently challenges in the press briefing room.
As noted by the Daily Caller, Doocy told the “Fox & Friends” panel that he asked Psaki last week why President Joe Biden hasn’t been to the southern border, as the crisis continues to unfold. In a testy response, Psaki refused to confirm if Biden had ever been to the border and asked the Fox News reporter what he expected POTUS to do if he were to visit. That’s why Doocy pushed back on the panel’s suggestion that Psaki was “condescending” to the reporter:
“It was an incredibly condescending and defensive answer she gave you,” Cain said. “‘What would you expect him to do, Peter, at the border?’”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that, but, it’s just, we’re not getting information,” Doocy responded. “Like, there are people all across the country but especially in the border sectors who want to know why is it that when there is a crisis, for example, like a hurricane or a wildfire and the president will go, show up to find out what the people on the ground need – and he will do that, but not this.”
Doocy asked last week if the president had “ever been to the southern border” during his nearly 50 years in public office, Fox News reported. Psaki could not give a straight answer, and a testy exchange developed:
“I will have to look back in my history books and check the times he’s been to the southern border,” Psaki said.
“We have been looking all morning,” Doocy said, “and we have not found any record of him visiting the border as president, vice president, senator, or even as a concerned citizen.”
Doocy later continued, “This is a president who makes a point when there are disasters in this country, like a wildfire or hurricane, to go and see for himself firsthand what the needs are of the local community so he can have an informed POV to make policy. Why doesn’t he go down to Del Rio, Texas, to see what’s going on?”
“Well first of all, Peter, I think the situation at the border is the result of a broken system,” Psaki replied. “And the president certainly relies on his experience. So whether it was the work he did to address root causes as vice president, his efforts when he was in the Senate to support comprehensive immigration reform. … He uses all of his experiences to inform how he governs, how he approaches challenges.”
Things again got testy last week when Doocy pressed Psaki about loose COVID policies at the border, which he described as “open.” The Daily Wire reported:
Doocy noted that migrants are only getting tested for COVID if they show symptoms, and some are being placed in the U.S.
“Most of these people that are going into removal proceedings are being put on either buses from Del Rio to El Paso and Laredo or being flown to Tucson with no COVID tested — testing unless they show symptoms. How is that helping anybody stop the spread?” he questioned.
“We have a protocol and process in place as it relates to COVID in terms of testing and quarantining, and also vaccines are provided for a range of migrants by our partner organizations in the region,” Psaki evaded.
“But why should somebody, say, in Laredo, Texas, or El Paso, or Tucson, Arizona, have to have their chance of catching COVID go up because, hundreds of miles away, there is an open border?” Doocy pressed.
An offended Psaki shot back, “Well, there certainly is not an open border.”
“We are continuing to employ our immigration proceedings and process and restrictions at the border, and that includes the implementation of enforcing Title 42, which is an authority — a public health authority,” she said. “It includes moving people into either a process for expedited removal or removal proceedings. That is our immigration process that we are proceeding underneath.”
“You say the border is not open, but we’re told by our teams on the ground you guys are releasing pretty much all family units, couples where the woman says that she is pregnant, or single women who say that they are pregnant and that nobody actually has to take a pregnancy test unless they want to. So, how —,”
“Are you suggesting you don’t believe when women say they’re pregnant? Is that a big issue, we think, at the border?” Psaki interrupted.
“I am not in charge of keeping the border secure,” Doocy shot back. “You guys are.”
Psaki mocked, “Do you think pregnant women are posing a big threat to the border?”
“You tell me,” Doocy told her.
“… To the border communities? Is that a big issue?” Psaki said.
“You tell me,” Doocy said.
“I’m not aware of pregnant women being a big issue of concern to people at the border,” Psaki said, evading Doocy’s original point about the border being open.
“The issue is not about pregnant women,” Doocy reiterated. “The issue is: Is the border open or is the border closed? Because my understanding is that a lot of this is happening on this side of the border.”
“I think you know the answer to that question,” Psaki answered. “And I just conveyed clearly that we’re implementing our border restrictions, including Title 42, including making clear that people who are coming through irregular migration — that this is not the time to come and they will be placed in removal proceedings.”