White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement on Friday after an inflammatory remark that she made about Fox News reporter Peter Doocy went viral online.
Speaking with the podcast “Pod Save America” this week during a live episode, Psaki said that the questions that Fox News has Doocy ask during the White House press briefing would make anyone, including Doocy, “sound like a stupid son of a b***h.”
After her comment went viral, Psaki released a statement on Friday in which she did not apologize for the derogatory remark.
“Full video shows I also told a story about Peter’s grace last night and made very clear I was not being critical of him or any reporter at Fox, and instead was critical of the slant of some Fox topics,” Psaki tweeted. “He is doing his job. I am doing mine. We debate. We disagree. I respect that.”
Psaki had the following exchange with a host during the podcast:
HOST: Before we go, I have to ask you a question–
PSAKI: Okay.
HOST — ’cause we have to talk about Peter Doocy for one second.
PSAKI: Okay.
HOST: Is he a stupid son of a b**** or does he play a stupid son of a b**** on TV?
PSAKI: Okay, well, he works for a network–
HOST: Okay.
PSAKI: –that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a b****.
Fox News released a statement defending Doocy and noted that Psaki’s suggestion that Doocy was provided the questions from the network was not accurate.
“In his role as White House correspondent, Peter Doocy’s job is to elicit truth from power for the American public,” Fox News said. “His questions are his own, he is a terrific reporter and we are extremely proud of his work.”
Psaki’s remark about Doocy’s “grace” was a reference to when President Joe Biden called Doocy a “stupid son of a b***h” during a press conference back in January and Doocy later accepted Biden’s apology.
Doocy asked, “Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?”
“No, it’s a great asset,” Biden answered, before muttering, “More inflation. What a stupid son of a b****.”
Related:
- Psaki Mocked For Claiming Biden Didn’t Make ‘Human’ Comparison Between GOP, Segregationists In Speech
- ‘It’s Literally Your Job’: Megyn Kelly Slams Jen Psaki After She Says Doocy’s Network Makes ‘Anyone Sound Like A Stupid Son Of A B****’
- ‘Many Of Us Were Ugly-Crying On The White House South Lawn’: Psaki Says Jackson Confirmation Was An ‘Emotional Day’