So weird.
Just this week, I wrote a column with a lede that said: &#8220;To be a White House press secretary, you need to be a skilled liar.&#8221;
And hoo boy, talk about immediate validation.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden delivered a speech at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, D.C. As he often does, he gave a bunch of shout-outs, including one for Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN).
The problem: Walorski is dead. She died, along with three others, in a head-on car crash on August 3.
In his shout-outs, Biden said: &#8220;Jackie, are you here? Where&#8217;s Jackie? She must not be here.&#8221;
It was quite clear that Biden, 79 — who gets confused often — had forgotten that Walorski had died. But that didn&#8217;t keep the White House from launching a nonsensical explanation for what Biden had said.
Before we start, I just want to say all of this is straight from the official White House transcript of Wednesday&#8217;s briefing.
&#8220;What happened in the hunger event today?&#8221; a reporter asked Biden&#8217;s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. &#8220;The President appeared to look around the room for an audience member, a member of Congress who passed away last month. He seemed to indicate she might be in the room. What happened there?&#8221;
&#8220;So the President was, as you all know — you guys were watching today’s event, a very important event on food insecurity. The President was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work. He had — he had already planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday. There will be a bill signing in her honor this coming Friday.&#8221;
There&#8217;s the set-up. Here&#8217;s a flat-out falsehood.
&#8220;So, of course, she was on his mind. She was of top of mind for the President. He looks — very much looks forward to discussing her remarkable legacy of public service with them when he sees her family this coming Friday.&#8221;
Top of mind? That was the best a team of White House aides could come up with?
The reporter followed up. &#8220;He said, &#8216;Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.'&#8221;
&#8220;No, I totally understand,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said, not totally understanding. &#8220;I just — I just explained she was on top of mind. You know, this wasn’t — what we were able to witness today and what the President was able to lift up in this — at this conference at this event was how her — her focus on wanting to deal with, combat food — food insecurity in America. And this is something that he was lifting up and honoring.&#8221;
&#8220;And, again, he knows that he’s going to see her family this coming Friday. There’s a bill signing that’s going to happen in renaming a VA clinic in Indiana after the late congresswoman. He knows that he is going to see her family, and she was at top of mind.&#8221;
The subject came up again and again later in the briefing, but before we get to that, let&#8217;s pause. Remember when you were a little kid, and your parents told you to always tell the truth? Remember the first time you had the courage to admit that you really messed up, said so and apologized?
That&#8217;s all Jean-Pierre had to do. &#8220;Oh, easy answer there,&#8221; she could have said. &#8220;The President just forgot that the congresswoman died last month. He&#8217;s a busy man — what with the economy imploding and Russia leading us all toward World War III. He just forgot.&#8221;
Boom, done. Now, Forgetgate is nothing like Watergate, but the White House forgot the lesson from that scandal — the coverup is often just as bad as the crime.
Later, another reporter told Jean-Pierre, &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry I have to do this,&#8221; then asked again.
&#8220;I’m not sure why. Why? Why one more time?&#8221; she said.
&#8220;Was the President confused? Was something written in the teleprompter that he didn’t recognize? Can you just help us understand what happened?&#8221; the reporter asked.
&#8220;I mean, you’re jumping to a lot of conclusions,&#8221; the president&#8217;s spokesman said.
&#8220;I just answered the question. If I had said — if that had been the case, I would have stated that. Right? I clearly have stated what you just laid out,&#8221; she said with a straight face.
Pressed on whether the White House would release Biden&#8217;s remarks as prepared, she said: &#8220;Not really sure what that has to do with anything.&#8221;
Well, it would show if the reference to Walorski was written in his speech.
Then Jean-Pierre delivered this whopper.
&#8220;I just answered the question about her being on top of mind. I don’t think that’s any — that’s unusual. I feel like many of us have gone through that particular, you know, time where someone is on top of mind and you call them out and you mention them. Especially in this — this type of context, if you think about how he’s going to see the family in two days&#8230;.&#8221;
Wow.
The lapdog media, responsible in large part for putting Biden in the White House, finally came alive. Another reporter asked the obvious follow-up question.
&#8220;I think the confusing part is why, if she and the family is top of mind, does the President think that she’s living and in the room?&#8221; the reporter said.
Jean-Pierre repeated her scripted lies, prompting the reporter to say: &#8220;Karine, I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day, but I’m not looking around for him anywhere.&#8221;
Then there was the fantastic exchange, straight from the White House transcript, as a reporter looks for an answer and Jean-Pierre tries to move on:
<blockquote>Q: Why doesn’t he just apologize?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — go ahead. Go ahead.
(Cross-talk by reporters.)
Q: Thanks, Karine. There are —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q: These moments of confusion are happening with increasing frequency.
Q: Why not just apologize?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: Excuse me. There are reports that —
Q: Americans are watching this and are having concerns. What do you say to that?
Q: There are reports that Treasury Secretary Yellen —
Q :What do you say to that?
Q: — is looking to leave the administration —
Q: This is a legitimate question. We need to have some answers.
Q: — at the end of year. What can you tell us about that?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m sorry, somebody was yelling over you, so —
Q: No, we were asking about the mental acuity —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: — of the President.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: I said there are reports that —
Q: This is a valid question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q: — Treasury Secretary Yellen is looking to leave Secretary Yellen is looking to leave the administration —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It is not your turn to speak, and you’re being rude to your colleagues, and let your colleague answer the question.
Q: You might be being rude to us by —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q: There are reports that —
Q: — not answering the question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. I — you’re yelling and — over your colleague. So that is incredibly rude.
Q: Can we have an answer to the substantive question here?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q: We’re just trying to get an answer, Karine. “Top of mind” is not an answer.</blockquote>
Jean-Pierre ignored the reporter and moved on.
There was one more try, and Jean-Pierre said: &#8220;Look, I know this is a question that many of you have had. I’ve answered it multiple times already in this room. And my answer is certainly not going to change. All of you may have views on — on how I’m answering it, but I am answering the question to the way that he saw it and the way that we see it.&#8221;
Now that&#8217;s frightening. And remember the day, September 28, 2022. From this day on, you can&#8217;t believe a single thing Jean-Pierre says.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Meida Briefing Held By White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Definitive Proof That White House Flack Karine Jean-Pierre Is A Bald-Faced Liar

Definitive Proof That White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre Is A Liar

Karine Jean-Pierre

US-politics-JEAN-PIERRE-BRIEFING

Karine Jean-Pierre Repeatedly Grilled Over Her Response To Biden Looking For Deceased Congresswoman

Biden Administration

Joe Biden

White House Press Secretary <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> was forced to scramble after President <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> called for recently deceased Congresswoman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jackie-walonski" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackie Walorski</a> (R-IN) during an event on Wednesday.
Walorski was killed in a motor-vehicle accident in August, but Biden called for her multiple times — asking where she was — during his <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/wheres-jackie-biden-asks-where-dead-congresswoman-is-at-white-house-conference/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening remarks</a> at the White House&#8217;s Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. Prior to her death, Walorski had been one of four co-sponsors of a bill to fund the conference.
&#8220;Jackie, are you here? Where&#8217;s Jackie?&#8221; Biden scanned the audience, apparently searching for the Indiana Republican.
Not surprisingly, Jean-Pierre fielded questions about the gaffe during Wednesday&#8217;s briefing.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/CeciliaVega?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CeciliaVega</a>: &#8220;What happened at the Hunger Event today? [Biden] appeared to look around&#8230;for&#8230;a member of Congress [Jackie Walorski] who passed away last month&#8230;What happened there?&#8221;
KJP: He &#8220;was acknowledging her incredible work&#8230;She was on his mind&#8230;top of mind&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/LhEECd4QBR">pic.twitter.com/LhEECd4QBR</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1575187294667022338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
ABC&#8217;s Cecilia Vega was first to ask about the president&#8217;s flub, saying, &#8220;What happened at the Hunger Event today? The president appeared to look around the room for an audience member, a member of Congress who passed away last month. Did he think she might be in the room? What happened there?&#8221;
Jean-Pierre explained that Biden had only wanted to recognize the work Walorski had done — and that he planned to visit with her family and sign a bill in her honor later in the week — adding, &#8220;she was on his mind, she was top of mind.&#8221;
Several other reporters pressed the issue, noting that even if the late congresswoman was &#8220;top of mind,&#8221; it seemed odd that the president did not appear to remember that she had passed away.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Reporter: &quot;The confusing part is why, if she and the family is top of mind, does the president think that she&#39;s living and in the room?&quot;
KJP: &quot;I don&#39;t find that confusing.&quot;
Reporter: &quot;I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day but I&#39;m not looking around for him.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VUrXCmpcgl">pic.twitter.com/VUrXCmpcgl</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1575192553175105536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The confusing part is why, if she and the family is top of mind, does the president think that she&#8217;s living and in the room?&#8221; another reporter asked.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t find that confusing,&#8221; Jean-Pierre pushed back, saying again that Biden had spent so much time and effort reviewing Walorski&#8217;s work and preparing to recognize her that her name was just the one that came to mind while he was speaking.
&#8220;I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day but I&#8217;m not looking around for him,&#8221; the reporter shot back.
&#8220;When you sign a bill for John Lennon as president, then we can have this conversation,&#8221; Jean-Pierre replied, moving quickly along to the next question.

Press Sec Digs Hole Even Deeper After Biden Calls For Dead Congresswoman

Press Sec Tries To Spin Biden's Shout-Out To Deceased Congresswoman Jackie Walorski

Jackie Walorski

Joe Rogan torched White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over what he called a &#8220;ridiculous&#8221; answer to Fox News&#8217; Peter Doocy about her 2016 stolen election claim.
During Spotify&#8217;s &#8220;The Joe Rogan Experience&#8221; <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iVChLxDKPFN9X8q4NtCsd?si=3eghO9CMSRK-GVT2rlAssQ">podcast</a> on Tuesday, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan">host</a> was speaking with stand-up comedians Tony Hinchcliffe and Hans Kim about the press secretary&#8217;s &#8220;hilarious&#8221; answer to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/peter-doocy">Doocy</a> about a tweet she made in 2016 claiming that former President Donald Trump had stolen the election.
&#8220;Did you ever see her confronted on it?&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-rogan-slams-blood-red-dark-background-of-bidens-speech">Rogan</a> asked his guests. &#8220;You gotta see this. It&#8217;s hilarious. Cause that guy Peter Doocy from Fox News, who always asks the best questions. Like, if you want that show to be entertaining, you want that guy to ask questions, because he always catches them.&#8221;
&#8220;And so he brings up a tweet of hers from 2016, where she says the election is stolen while she&#8217;s talking about how important it is not entertaining any ideas of the 2020 election being stolen,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Like, what are you talking about? What?&#8221;
&#8220;First of all, what kind of audit have you done where you&#8217;re so confident that the election has been stolen or has not been stolen,&#8221; the podcast host continued. &#8220;How much work are you doing before you&#8217;re making these assertions? Almost zero.&#8221;
Rogan then read Jean-Pierre&#8217;s 2016 tweet that read, &#8220;Stolen emails, stolen drone, stolen election &#8230;..welcome to the world of #unpresidented Trump.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Stolen emails, stolen drone, stolen election &#8230;..welcome to the world of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/unpresidented?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#unpresidented</a> Trump <a href="https://t.co/NI7vqPV6cu">https://t.co/NI7vqPV6cu</a>
&mdash; Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) <a href="https://twitter.com/K_JeanPierre/status/810294911815847936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-suck-at-their-job-joe-rogan-says-after-stelter-canned-theyre-all-on-the-chopping-block">Rogan</a> then played video of the Fox News White House correspondent asking the press secretary, &#8220;if denying election results is extreme now, why wasn&#8217;t it then?&#8221; It was a reference to recent comments from President Joe Biden that &#8220;extremists&#8221; in the MAGA wing of the Republican Party were the ones who denied results of the 2020 presidential election.
Jean-Pierre called the comparison he made &#8220;just ridiculous.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Doocy: &quot;You tweeted in 2016&#8230;Trump stole an election. You tweeted Brian Kemp stole an election. If denying election results is extreme now, why wasn&#39;t it then?&quot;
KJP: &quot;So, let&#39;s be really clear. That comparison that you made is just ridiculous.&quot;
Doocy: &quot;How is that ridiculous?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/JDTO1HMO8W">pic.twitter.com/JDTO1HMO8W</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1567197380662935556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The podcaster said her &#8220;saying that question is ridiculous is ridiculous.&#8221;
&#8220;That is not a ridiculous question,&#8221; Rogan told his guests. &#8220;That is a very good question. It&#8217;s a very good questions.&#8221;
At one point, he also blasted those who have claimed that asking voters to show &#8220;ID is racist,&#8221; but doing the same when it comes the pandemic is necessary.
In a character voice he said, &#8220;you don&#8217;t need to show ID to vote. But you better have your ID ready and your vax card if you want to eat in a restaurant.&#8221;
&#8220;Same people,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Same people. ID is racist, but you need an ID, cause you have to do the right thing. It&#8217;s like they&#8217;re bearing the weight of this hypocrisy all day long is just blowing their brains out.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-guys-out-of-your-fing-mind-he-cant-talk-right-anymore-joe-rogan-talks-biden-decline-history-of-lying">&#8216;You Guys Out Of Your F***ing Mind? … He Can&#8217;t Talk Right Anymore&#8217;: Joe Rogan Talks Biden Decline, History Of &#8216;Lying&#8217;</a>

Joe Rogan

‘Ridiculous’: Rogan Torches White House Press Secretary After Doocy Asked About Her 2016 Stolen Election Claim

Celebrities

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Peter Doocy

White House

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had a tense exchange with a reporter who said some are accusing Kirby of trying to &#8220;undermine&#8221; White House Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a>.
During the White House&#8217;s daily press briefing Friday, Today News Africa White House reporter Simon Ateba asked Kirby to clarify &#8220;confusion&#8221; he encountered when talking to everyday people who claimed that Kirby acts like the &#8220;second press secretary&#8221; and is trying to undermine the first black press secretary. Kirby said it was &#8220;regrettable&#8221; that anyone would get such an idea and stressed that he is solely focused on national security issues.
&#8220;On your job at the White House — because I&#8217;ve been asked this question — there seems to be some confusion about what your role is, what type of questions [we should] ask you, sometimes you act like the second press secretary,” Ateba said, prompting Kirby to shake his head no.
&#8220;Can you explain exactly what your job is at the White House and if you&#8217;re the second press secretary? What type of questions should we ask you? Is it on &#8230; national security? And the reason I’m asking is because almost everywhere I go, I have black people telling me that the reason you’re at the White House is to undermine the first female black press secretary, so can you clarify that and explain why the &#8230; national security experts at the NSC who can always be here and take questions on National Security, so what type of questions should we ask you?”
Kirby was visibly taken aback by the question. “If anyone gets any kind of idea in their head that I’m taking away from Karine or her work, that’s really regrettable,” he replied. “And I’m very sorry that that’s any impression that anybody would have.&#8221;
&#8220;I am simply working at the National Security Council on national security communications — and with her good graces, I’m able to come up here every now and then to talk to you about simply national security issues,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;That’s my portfolio. That’s where I’m limited. That’s where I’ll stay. And I do it at her invitation and with her approval to come up here. So that&#8217;s the focus. I&#8217;m happy to answer national security questions and that&#8217;s about it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Reporter asks John Kirby about his role at the White House: &quot;Sometimes you act like a second press secretary&#8230;almost everywhere I go, I have Black people telling me that the the reason you&#39;re at the White House is to undermine the first female Black press secretary?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/7ewUSkWbdr">pic.twitter.com/7ewUSkWbdr</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1570836894807691266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A retired rear admiral in the Navy, Kirby served as the Pentagon press secretary from January 2021 until May 2022, when he joined the White House as the National Security Council&#8217;s Coordinator for Strategic Communications. He previously served as Pentagon spokesman during the Obama administration.
Kirby was rumored to be a favorite to replace former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki before Jean-Pierre was tapped to assume the position. Still, Kirby quickly began appearing alongside Jean-Pierre in press briefings to answer national security questions. Ateba&#8217;s question gave voice to an observation made in private by other members of the press corps, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/16/john-kirby-denies-undermining-karine-jean-pierre-as-press-secretary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a> reported.
Ateba also has a history of creating uncomfortable moments during White House briefings. He <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/05/13/jen-psakis-final-briefing-is-chaos-simon-ateba-heckles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heckled</a> Psaki to take a question from him during her final White House briefing. Last month, he similarly shouted over other reporters trying to have a question answered until Kirby <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/john-kirby-reprimands-reporter-for-shouting-over-others-in-briefing-room-you-know-where-we-are/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reprimanded</a> him. “This is the White House press briefing room, and you need to be more respectful,” Kirby scolded.

White House Holds Press Briefing

Awkward: White House Reporter Asks John Kirby Whether He Is ‘Second Press Secretary,’ There To ‘Undermine’ Jean-Pierre

Awkward: White House Reporter Asks John Kirby Whether He Is 'Second Press Secretary,' There To 'Undermine' Jean-Pierre

Gender

John Kirby

Race

NOW things are getting interesting.
A couple of Republican governors, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/their-virtue-signaling-is-a-fraud-desantis-drags-leftists-attacking-him-for-sending-illegal-immigrants-to-sanctuary-cities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida&#8217;s Ron DeSantis</a> and Texas&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/brilliant-political-strategy-former-ny-dem-governor-praises-greg-abbott-sending-illegals-to-nyc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Abbott</a>, sparked a wildfire of fury and controversy on Thursday when they dispatched illegal aliens who came across the southern border — with the federal government looking the other way — to a pair of high-profile spots: The vice president&#8217;s residence in Washington, D.C., and Martha&#8217;s Vineyard.
For the record, Abbott has been dealing with this problem for months. And DeSantis has, too, as the Biden administration continues to dump undocumented foreigners all over the country, including Florida. Both became so fed up they decided to send the illegals to the most liberal places they could find.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This sign is in Martha&#39;s Vineyard. Note that they &quot;Stand with immigrants, with refugees,&quot; etc.
What happened to their solidarity? <a href="https://t.co/ZoaFGpCzUb">pic.twitter.com/ZoaFGpCzUb</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1570527538027597824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DeSantis loaded up a couple of planes and flew them to the tiny island of Martha&#8217;s Vineyard, packed with 1 percenter liberals (the Obamas have a multi-million-dollar oceanside mansion there). Known among the locals as &#8220;The Vineyard,&#8221; the harbor towns are home to only about 15,000 people — and you can bet that not many of them look like the migrants who got off the planes.
Meanwhile, Abbott loaded up a few buses and moved his migrants across the country — dropping them off right in the front yard of Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; mansion. Harris famously declared last Sunday on &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; that the border was &#8220;secure,&#8221; but what the illegals (their word, not mine) told reporters was truly remarkable.
&#8220;It is open, not closed. The border is open,&#8221; one man who was among the 100 or so foreigners dropped off by two buses said to <a href="https://www.fox5dc.com/news/2-buses-of-migrants-arrive-outside-vp-harriss-residence-in-dc-fox-news">Fox News</a>.
&#8220;Everybody believes that the border is open,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It is open because we enter. We come in free, no problem. We came illegally, not legally.&#8221;
Boom. Open. Not secure. Harris was proven wrong in just five days — and we&#8217;ve got the truth from a man who just crossed the border illegally and ended up on her doorstep.
The usually tongue-tied White House spokesman, Karine Jean-Pierre, had clearly whipped up some talking points, which she pathetically repeated over and over as reporters finally did their job to try to get to the bottom of the story.
&#8220;So, you know, it’s the latest stunt from the governor,&#8221; she said of Abbott. &#8220;Another stunt of busing desperate migrants across the country. And he’s using them as a political — as a political ploy. I mean, this is what he’s been doing and it’s shameful. And I’ve said this before.&#8221; Then she said it again and again.
But the scene on Martha&#8217;s Vineyard was even more delicious. The woke liberal zillionaires there often post yard signs that say &#8220;we stand with immigrants &#8230; all are welcome here.&#8221; But there was complete chaos once they actually showed up.
How hilarious was it? The island&#8217;s authorities actually declared a &#8220;humanitarian crisis&#8221; — over 50 or so illegals.
&#8220;To our Island community, here is an update on current humanitarian crisis on Martha&#8217;s Vineyard&#8230;.we thank people for their continued help,&#8221; one official posted on Twitter.
The post detailed the efforts the island was making to deal with the illegal immigrants, with the Dukes County Emergency Management Association saying officials are providing &#8220;shelter, food, and care&#8221; to them and that &#8220;a coalition of Vineyard towns, community-based, and nonprofit groups are assisting in this effort.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
To our Island community, here is an update on current humanitarian crisis on Martha&#39;s Vineyard&#8230;.we thank people for their continued help. <a href="https://t.co/f9YRJSJPow">pic.twitter.com/f9YRJSJPow</a>
&mdash; Visit Martha&#39;s Vineyard (@VisitMV) <a href="https://twitter.com/VisitMV/status/1570435280208904192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Now step back for a second. THAT is exactly what Texas and Florida has been doing for months — years — on a far larger scale and often with little federal aid to handle what is clearly a crisis.
The hilarity was that the swank little island in Liberal Land flipped out over just 50 illegals. With just a couple buses and planes, the GOP governors had dramatically illustrated their plights — and exposed the hypocrisy of liberals who say they support migrants but then freak out when they show up on their manicured lawns.
Before the end of the day, Lisa Belcastro, coordinator for Martha’s Vineyard homeless shelter Harbor Homes, said the migrants couldn&#8217;t stay.
&#8220;The difficult challenges are, we have, at some point in time they have to move from here to somewhere else,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We cannot, we don’t have the services to take care of 50 immigrants, and we certainly don’t have housing. We’re in a housing crisis as we are on this island. And we don’t, we can’t house everyone here that lives here and work here. We don’t have housing for 50 more people.&#8221;
Well, the Obamas have 10 bedrooms and with the kids off to college are using only one.
DeSantis, the frontrunner for the 2024 presidential nomination should former Donald Trump not run (and perhaps even if he does), had played his hand just right — and he had a few trump cards left as the drama reached a crescendo.
&#8220;Their virtue-signaling is a fraud,&#8221; DeSantis said later in the day. &#8220;We take what is happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some, and unlike the president of the United States, who has refused to lift a finger to secure that border.&#8221;
But he was just getting started, and he had a message targeted to liberals.
&#8220;If you have folks that are inclined to think Florida’s a good place, our message to them is that we are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures,&#8221; DeSantis said.
He still had more.
&#8220;And all of those people in D.C. and New York were beating their chests when Trump was president, saying they were so proud to be sanctuary jurisdictions, saying how bad it was to have a secure border,&#8221; DeSantis noted. &#8220;The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they all of a sudden go berserk and they’re so upset that this is happening. It just shows you their virtue-signaling is a fraud.&#8221;
Game, set, match.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Satellite view of Marthas Vineyard island, Massachusetts, USA

Martha’s Vineyard Declares ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ — Over 50 Illegal Aliens!

Martha's Vineyard Declares 'Humanitarian Crisis' — Over 50 Illegal Aliens Sent By Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Greg Abbott

Illegal Immigration

Kamala Harris

Ron DeSantis

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to answer questions Thursday about whether the U.S. southern border is secure after Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants to Martha&#8217;s Vineyard.
The question from a reporter came after Vice President Kamala Harris said during a news show over the weekend that the &#8220;border is secure.&#8221;
&#8220;But does the White House stand by those comments that the border is secure?&#8221; the reporter asked.
&#8220;What we stand by is that we’re doing everything that we can, uh, to make sure that, um, uh, that we follow the process that’s been put forth,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That’s why we have, uh, historic funding, uh, to do just that, to make sure that, um, uh — you know, uh, um, uh, to make sure that, um — to make sure that the folks that we encounter at the border be removed, uh, or expelled.&#8221;
&#8220;Is the border secure, Karine?&#8221; the reporter pressed. &#8220;Is the border secure?&#8221;
&#8220;I’m just going to refer back to the vice president. We agree with her,&#8221; Jean-Pierre responded. &#8220;She is saying that there’s a lot of work to do. Right? She also said that in that very statement. We agree that the border is secure, but there is still more work to be done.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="09/15/22: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a7R63evaiKY?start=1975&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>REPORTER: Okay.  And I want to ask you: On the topic of immigration, the Vice President said to my colleague, Chuck Todd, over the weekend, “The border is secure.”  She also caveated that to say we also have a broken immigration system and talked about the need to fix that.  But does the White House stand by those comments that the border is secure?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE:  What we stand by is that we’re doing everything that we can to make sure that we follow the process that’s been put forth.  That’s why we have historic funding to do just that, to make sure that — you know, to make sure that — to make sure that the folks that we encounter at the border be removed or expelled.
And again, the facts are: More individuals encountered at the border will be removed or expelled this year than in any previous year.  But that’s the work that’s —
REPORTER:Is the border secure, Karine?
JEAN-PIERRE:  — that we have been doing.
REPORTER:Is the border secure?
JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m just going to refer back to the Vice President.  We agree with her.  She is saying that there’s a lot of work to do.  Right?  She also said that in that very statement.  We agree that the border is secure, but there is still more work to be done.</blockquote>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-cheer-after-desantis-sends-illegal-immigrants-to-marthas-vineyard-time-to-pay-their-fair-share">Conservatives Cheer After DeSantis Sends Illegal Immigrants To Martha’s Vineyard: Time To ‘Pay Their Fair Share’</a>

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Holds Monday’s Media Briefing

Jean-Pierre Freezes Up When Asked If Border Is Secure After DeSantis Sends Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard

Jean-Pierre Freezes Up When Asked If Border Is Secure After DeSantis Sends Migrants To Martha's Vineyard

Florida

Hilarity ensued on social media after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued another malapropism, this time confusing the Nord Stream Pipeline in Europe, a source of international controversy, with the department store Nordstrom.
Jean-Pierre was asked at the White House press briefing on Tuesday about the energy crisis facing the United Kingdom and whether the United States could offer any assistance to help the UK lower energy costs domestically.
“So you’ve heard us say this: that what we see Russia’s doing, we&#8217;ve been very clear about this, is that they&#8217;re using energy, they&#8217;re weaponizing energy. And it’s choosing to — one of the things that has been out there, they shut down the pipeline of Nordstrom 1,” Jean-Pierre replied.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jean-Pierre refers to the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline as the “Nordstrom” pipeline <a href="https://t.co/CRXiQYSjQK">pic.twitter.com/CRXiQYSjQK</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1567192149380239363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Social media mocked Jean-Pierre’s mix-up:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
There is *one* slight difference:<a href="https://twitter.com/Nordstrom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Nordstrom</a> has excellent customer service. 
NS1 &amp; 2 not so much, <a href="https://twitter.com/K_JeanPierre?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@K_JeanPierre</a> <a href="https://t.co/t4rLIg57Kr">https://t.co/t4rLIg57Kr</a>
&mdash; Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1567476925714628609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Not sure what’s worse, that Karine Jean Pierre just called it The NORDSTROM Pipeline, or that Biden yelled at his TV, “no dummy it’s Bloomingdales.”
&mdash; Jimmy Failla (@jimmyfailla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmyfailla/status/1567195407763079169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This was not a slip of the tongue.
Biden gave it to Putin as a gift from Nordstrom’s.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenPutinPipeline?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenPutinPipeline</a> <a href="https://t.co/Asw2RyvBEe">https://t.co/Asw2RyvBEe</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1567229145930776579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/Nordstrom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Nordstrom</a> psyched to learn its retail portfolio also includes a pipeline!
 <a href="https://t.co/woXPY6DurK">pic.twitter.com/woXPY6DurK</a>
&mdash; Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) <a href="https://twitter.com/MonicaCrowley/status/1567231721669623808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Don’t look now. Russia is attacking Nordstrom. Look out Macy’s! <a href="https://t.co/Y3zVef4XYj">https://t.co/Y3zVef4XYj</a>
&mdash; Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisStigall/status/1567196013819052034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, opened in 2011, runs approximately 750 miles under the Baltic Sea from an area near St. Petersburg to north-eastern Germany. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline runs parallel to Nord Stream 1, but its construction was interrupted when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
In February 2021, Gazprom, a majority-state owned Russian energy company, resumed laying the pipeline on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The company had temporarily halted laying the pipeline after former President Trump had threatened sanctions.
President Biden had a different position than Trump. Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/nord-stream-sanction-biden-russia-f6db2ae3-2c89-4343-b326-9f399d674077.html">reported</a> in May 2021, “The State Department will also acknowledge that the corporate entity in charge of the project (Nord Stream 2 AG) and its CEO (Putin crony and former East German intelligence officer Matthias Warnig) are engaged in sanctionable activities. However, the State Department will waive the applications of those sanctions, citing U.S. national interests.”
“If true, President Biden just delivered a huge victory to Vladimir Putin, who will now have a stranglehold over Europe’s natural gas supplies,” Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=38849EEF-2A51-4B4F-8EF0-A71D88532FB1">charged</a>. “Then-candidate Biden promised to be tough on Russia, but it is increasingly clear that was just campaign rhetoric. There is absolutely no excuse for giving Putin more leverage over our allies and partners, including Ukraine. It is dangerous, naïve, deceitful, and weak.”
Last week, Gazprom <a href="https://t.me/s/gazprom">said</a> it would not restart the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany, claiming oil leaks were found. “Until the equipment malfunctions are corrected, gas transport to the Nord Stream gas pipeline is completely stopped,” Gazprom said.
“The EU has been scrambling to lessen its dependence on Russian gas, which accounted for 40 percent of imports last year,” Politico <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/gazprom-announces-nord-stream-stoppage/">reported</a>.

‘No Dummy It’s Bloomingdales’: WH Press Secretary Mocked For Mixing Up Nord Stream Pipeline With Nordstrom

Nordstream Pipeline

Vladimir Putin

Fox News White House correspondent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/peter-doocy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peter Doocy</a> cornered Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> during Tuesday&#8217;s briefing, asking why her previous tweets denying the results of elections did not constitute “extremism” as defined by President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a>.
Doocy referred to Biden&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-election-denier-claims-denying-elections-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-fascism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent comments</a> — arguing that “extremists” within the MAGA wing of the Republican Party were the ones who denied that he won the 2020 presidential election — and he pointed out Jean-Pierre&#8217;s own <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/a-threat-to-democracy-bidens-new-election-denying-press-secretary-meets-the-lefts-definition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prior claims</a> that former President Donald Trump had “stolen” the 2016 election from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and that Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp had “stolen” the election from Democrat Stacey Abrams.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Doocy: &quot;You tweeted in 2016&#8230;Trump stole an election. You tweeted Brian Kemp stole an election. If denying election results is extreme now, why wasn&#39;t it then?&quot;
KJP: &quot;So, let&#39;s be really clear. That comparison that you made is just ridiculous.&quot;
Doocy: &quot;How is that ridiculous?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/JDTO1HMO8W">pic.twitter.com/JDTO1HMO8W</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1567197380662935556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“A follow up about the MAGA Republican attention. So, if we&#8217;re all in agreement that it is incorrect to say the 2020 election was stolen, what about the 2016 election?” Doocy began.
Jean-Pierre deflected at first, saying that she was not going to “go back to where we were” and that the Biden administration was choosing instead to remain focused on what was going on in the moment.
“But just in trying to understand the new attention on the MAGA Republicans, you tweeted in 2016 —” Doocy pushed back, prompting an interruption from Jean-Pierre.
“Oh, I knew this was coming,” she said. “I was waiting, Peter, when you were going to ask me that question.”
“Here we go,” Doocy responded with a smile. “You tweeted Trump stole an election. You tweeted Brian Kemp stole an election. If denying election results is extreme now, why wasn&#8217;t it then?”
“So, let&#8217;s be really clear. That comparison that you made is just ridiculous,” Jean-Pierre insisted.
“How is that ridiculous?” Doocy shot back.
“I have been — you&#8217;re asking me a question, let me — let me answer it.”
“And you said it was ‘ridiculous,’” Doocy continued.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
KJP defends questioning the 2016 &amp; 2018 elections, telling Doocy she didn&#39;t storm the Capitol like on January 6 where &quot;people died&#8230;Law enforcement were attacked&#8230;That&#39;s what [Biden] has called out&#8230;When you have MAGA Republicans&#8230;who&#8230;deny&#8230;[he&#39;s] going to call that out.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/U90mqNCXbS">pic.twitter.com/U90mqNCXbS</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1567198604644810752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I was talking specifically at the time of what was happening with voting rights, and what was in danger of voting rights,” Jean-Pierre insisted, apparently referencing the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/stacey-abrams-pushed-misinformation-about-georgia-voting-bill-now-shes-upset-by-the-consequences/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voter integrity measures</a> passed in Georgia. Despite the measures getting heavy criticism from the Left, Georgia has had <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/georgia-voting-law-media-jim-crow-accusations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher turnout</a> in the elections since their passage.
Jean-Pierre went on to say that in the months since, she had clearly stated that Trump won in 2016 and that Kemp had also won his election in Georgia — and then she pivoted to invoke <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-riot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">January 6</a>, arguing that the MAGA Republicans were being called out because of that.

FOX Network television reporter Peter Do

‘How Is That Ridiculous?’: Peter Doocy And Karine Jean-Pierre Do Battle Over Election Denial

Peter Doocy And Karine Jean-Pierre Do Battle Over When Election Denial Is ‘Extreme’

Election Results

Nine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illegal-immigration">migrants</a> died while attempting to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/migrant-drowned-attempting-to-cross-rio-grande-river-into-texas-national-guard-ordered-not-to-intervene">cross</a> the Rio Grande River and enter the United States near Eagle Pass Friday, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
CBP agents rescued 37 migrants from the increasingly strong currents of the river and detained 16 more while Mexican authorities detained another 39 migrants. Heavy rain has resulted in the river’s water level rising two feet in one day in the area, from three feet to five feet, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-border-patrols-us-customs-and-protection-7664c5c25eae908a961e0d3da5c5fcfa?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_7">according</a> to the Associated Press.
“There are places when the water levels are down where you could wade across, but when the river is up it’s extremely dangerous, especially if you’re carrying kids or trying to help someone who is not a strong swimmer,” said Stephanie Leutert, who heads the Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative at the University of Texas’ Center for International Security and Law.
In May, a 38-year-old Nicaraguan migrant <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/migrant-drowned-attempting-to-cross-rio-grande-river-into-texas-national-guard-ordered-not-to-intervene">drowned</a> attempting to illegally cross into the U.S. “This was horrific to see,” Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas said at the time. “There are the migrants who are suffering the most, who are risking their lives leaving horrific conditions and coming here under false pretenses about this nation’s immigration policy.”
The latest migrant drownings come as the Biden administration faces continued criticism for its border policies. Earlier this week, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy about Biden’s border policy allowing unvaccinated illegal immigrants to enter the United States. Jean-Pierre <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-press-secretary-on-illegal-immigration-its-not-like-somebody-walks-over-actually-millions-do">responded</a> by claiming migrants don’t simply walk across the border.
&#8220;But that&#8217;s not how it works,&#8221; Jean-Pierre replied to Doocy, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-agents-slam-karine-jean-pierres-ignorant-claim-illegal-immigrants-walking-across">reported</a>.
&#8220;That&#8217;s what&#8217;s happening,&#8221; Doocy shot back. &#8220;I know that&#8217;s not what you guys want to happen. But that is what is happening.&#8221;
&#8220;But that&#8217;s not — it&#8217;s not like somebody walks over,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said.
The press secretary’s claim flew in the face of some border patrol agents as they address <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/migrant-encounters-hit-record-high-as-biden-looks-to-end-title-42-next-week">record-numbers</a> of border encounters. &#8220;How out of touch can this administration possibly be?&#8221; one agent told Fox News. &#8220;Well, I guess this is a new level.&#8221;
Along with detaining illegal immigrants, CBP agents have also confiscated a staggering amount of fentanyl that is streaming across the southern border.
Last month, Nogales Port Director Michael W. Humphries said in a tweet that a “massive amount of fentanyl pills” and other narcotics like cocaine and heroin were found and confiscated before crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. That seizure came only days after Nogales agents blocked about 265,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills resembling candy and sidewalk chalk, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/big-rig-hiding-1-6-million-fentanyl-pills-seized-by-border-patrol-agents">reported</a>.
Brandon Drey contributed to this report.

Rio Grande River

9 Migrants Drown In Rio Grande Seeking To Enter U.S.

9 Migrants Drown After Attempting To Cross Rio Grande River On U.S.-Mexico Border

Customs and Border Protection (CPB)

Southern Border

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> raised eyebrows Thursday by suggesting that Republicans prevented <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">schools</a> from reopening sooner amid the rollback of government lockdowns.
When a reporter <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/09/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-september-1-2022/">questioned</a> Jean-Pierre about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nations-report-card-indicates-worst-decline-in-math-and-reading-scores-in-decades">dismal test results</a> on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — which showed average scores for nine-year-olds declining five points in reading and seven points in mathematics — she lauded President Joe Biden for purportedly spearheading a return to in-person instruction.
“Not too long ago when this President walked into this administration: how mismanaged the pandemic — the response to the pandemic was; how 47 percent of schools were — in less than six months, our schools went from 40 per- — 46 percent to — open — to nearly all of them being open to full time,” she said.
“That was the work of this President. And that was the work of Democrats, in spite of Republicans not voting for the American Rescue Plan,” she explained, referring to $130 billion in funding for schools greenlit by the $1.9 trillion legislation. “Every Republican in Congress voted against that money. That is the reality. We had to do this on our own.”
In response, independent journalist Tom Elliott compiled a thread of nearly two dozen union officials, lawmakers, and other members of the Democratic Party advocating for a delay to normal instruction. Virtual learning contributed to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/public-schools-with-more-masking-remote-classes-saw-largest-enrollment-drops-study-reveals">declines in enrollment</a>, a rise in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schools-across-the-nation-see-rise-in-violent-behavior-after-return-to-in-person-learning">violent behavior</a>, and poor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cdc-study-suggests-virtual-learning-can-be-damaging-to-childrens-physical-and-mental-health">mental health</a> among students, among other issues.
White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, for instance, <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1565420299247558657">responded</a> to a question about opening schools during a February 2021 interview by pushing for “mitigation measures” such as vaccinations and social distancing.
“He’s listening to the science,” she said of the commander-in-chief, “and there are a number of important steps that we need to take to ensure that schools can open safely.”
When asked about the role of teachers unions in delaying a return to normalcy, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1565448518151688194">said</a> in May 2021 that “reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic is not as easy as some may think” given the quality of their ventilation systems. “It is complicated, and I tip my hat to educators who have been working really hard to try to get it done as quickly and as safely as possible.”
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1565419749357588481?s=11&amp;t=70cmBnu7JOabeRR8ENWRZg">said</a> during a July 2021 interview with MSNBC that increasing vaccination rates was necessary to “keep kids safe” and “keep our members safe” and “try to open up schools.”
In the summer of 2020, many Democratic officials were far more dogmatic about refusing to open schools — though data was beginning to find that Sweden was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-happened-after-sweden-took-a-hands-off-approach-to-covid-19">successfully avoiding</a> a cancelation of normal instruction.
In July 2020, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1565492444396937216">said</a> during a CNN interview that “we should not rush to reopen schools” after she was pressed by anchor Jake Tapper about the possible costs of remote learning. One month later, former Texas Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1565491025149313027">condemned</a> an executive order from Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) that barred schools from delaying their start date and told officials to “not reopen schools.”
Many parents <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-the-right-to-homeschooling-under-attack">turned to homeschooling</a> and private schools as their local districts continued with virtual instruction. One <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/homeschooling-on-the-rise-during-covid-19-pandemic.html">report</a> from the Census Bureau found that homeschooling rates across the country grew from 5.4% to 11% between March 2020 and September 2020 alone.
More recently, teachers unions have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unions-complain-of-dire-teacher-shortages-ahead-of-new-school-year-push-for-more-funding">called for more funding</a> as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americans-continue-to-opt-out-of-the-workforce">labor shortages</a> impact the education sector. However, a <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_236.55.asp?current=yes">report</a> from the National Center for Education Statistics indicated that the inflation-adjusted yearly expenditure per American pupil rose from $4,060 to $15,424 between 1960 and 2017, while another <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED543118.pdf">study</a> from the Department of Education revealed that schools increased the number of non-teaching staff by 702% between 1950 to 2009 despite hiring 252% more teachers over the same period.

White House Claims Schools Reopened ‘In Spite of Republicans.’ Here Are Several Videos Of Democrats Defending Closed Schools

White House Claims Schools Reopened ‘In Spite of Republicans.' Here Are Several Videos Of Democrats Defending Closed Schools

Democratic Party

Teachers Unions

The old saying goes, &#8220;If you need a friend in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-d-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington</a>, buy a dog.&#8221; It seems <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lindsey-graham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)</a> is learning that lesson the hard way when it comes to his friendship with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden</a>.
For the apparent sin of not condemning the MAGA movement, Graham has gone from being one of Biden&#8217;s best buds in D.C. to being considered a threat to the entire American way of life.
In 2015, when Graham was seeking the presidency, he recounted with tears in his eyes how good of a friend Biden had been to him.
&#8220;The bottom line is, if you can&#8217;t admire Joe Biden as a person, that&#8217;s probably your problem,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;You got a problem. You need to do some self-evaluation because what&#8217;s not to like?&#8221;
Graham even went on to say that the then-vice president&#8217;s character was second-to-none while commenting on the personal tragedy that Biden has gone through.
&#8220;He&#8217;s the nicest person I think I&#8217;ve ever met in politics,&#8221; he added &#8220;He is as good a man as God ever created.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Lindsey Graham Chokes Up Talking About Joe Biden" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kLMYW8jFPHg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Since Trump was inaugurated in 2017, Graham has been partial to him — even if the two disagreed on certain issues.
It would appear that the friendship Graham waxed poetic about has gone out the window because of that.
The South Carolina senator recently <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/graham-faces-backlash-claiming-violence-break-trump-prosecuted/story?id=89007784" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that if Biden&#8217;s Department of Justice tries &#8220;to prosecute President Trump for mishandling classified information after Hillary Clinton set up a server in her basement, there literally will be riots in the street.&#8221;
&#8220;I worry about our country,&#8221; he added.
A generous reading of Graham&#8217;s statement would be that he was predicting riots — not that he was advocating for them — if the unprecedented action occurred.
Yet that is not how the White House viewed it; Biden&#8217;s gang seems to think Graham is part of an extreme faction of Americans coarsening politics and endangering our nation&#8217;s very foundation.
On Monday, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Graham&#8217;s comments in light of Biden&#8217;s claim that semi-fascism is running amok in the GOP.
&#8220;So, um, we have seen MAGA Republicans attack our democracy. We have seen MAGA Republicans take away our rights, make threats of violence — including this weekend,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said while gesturing to the reporter who asked the question. &#8220;And that is what the president was referring to when you all asked me last week about the semi-fascism comment.&#8221;
&#8220;And he was clear — not all Republicans. There are some mainstream Republicans — he mentioned the Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan, and talked about him and what he&#8217;s been doing and how he called him out of being that mainstream Republican,&#8221; she added. &#8220;But we have seen these MAGA extreme Republicans making these kind of comments, which is dangerous, and this is what we are talking about when Joe Biden &#8230; was making his comments.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Karine Jean-Pierre holds a White House briefing" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DSNGUEUqmCs?start=1734&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
On Thursday, Jean-Pierre doubled down, again saying that Biden considers MAGA Republicans to be a &#8220;threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Karine Jean-Pierre says that people who voted for Donald Trump are &#8220;a threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/8e2fXP2sD7">pic.twitter.com/8e2fXP2sD7</a>
— John Cooper (@thejcoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/thejcoop/status/1565055591634112515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
Not only is the White House apparently saying Graham is an extremist, but they are of course saying that Trump voters are as well.
Ultimately, the lesson here isn&#8217;t that the South Carolina senator is some MAGA extremist. Of course, he isn&#8217;t. He isn&#8217;t even MAGA-lite, but that&#8217;s for another column.
The lesson is that Biden isn&#8217;t the nice guy Graham once thought. In actuality, he&#8217;s very much a demagogue who throws anybody under the bus who stands in his way — including his friend and half the nation in the process.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Lindsay Graham

Lindsey Graham Once Choked Up Talking About Biden. Now The White House Says He’s A Threat To The Country.

Lindsey Graham Once Choked Up Talking About Biden. Now The White House Says He's A Threat To The Country.

Lindsey Graham

MAGA

Menu