Will the real White House spokesperson please stand up?
Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reportedly clashed behind the scenes over how responsibility for their regular media briefings should be divided.
Kirby, a former top Pentagon and State Department spokesman, has made increasingly frequent appearances at the podium since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel — and is a favorite of the president, who often asks Kirby to brief him personally, according to Axios.
Although he stood out as the administration’s de facto foreign policy spokesman, Kirby’s briefing room appearances were tightly controlled by Jean-Pierre — who selected reporters who could ask Kirby questions.
The press secretary did no such thing when Kirby’s nominal boss, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, attended the briefing — leading Kirby to express frustration with the situation.
National Security Councilman John Kirby’s increasingly prominent role at White House press briefings in recent months has reportedly caused tensions to rise behind the podium. Getty Images
“It’s not my briefing room,” the 60-year-old Kirby, a retired navy admiral, recently grumbled to a person who asked how he was enjoying his position in the White House, sources told The Post.
The awkwardness dates back to Jen Psaki’s departure as White House press secretary in May 2022, two weeks before Kirby arrived from the Pentagon.
President Biden formally offered Jean-Pierre the role as Psaki’s successor, but muddied the waters by adding that he would work with Kirby, Jean-Pierre told colleagues at the time, according to Axios.
Since then, some members of the black administration have suggested to the media that the arrangement insulted Jean-Pierre because it implied the first African-American press secretary needed oversight.
Kirby has been front and center at White House press briefings since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Kirby has reportedly told people she wants to be a press secretary one day, though a person familiar with the situation told The Post Friday that she never volunteered that ambition.
Jean-Pierre, for his part, has said he intends to stay in his role at least through this year’s election and claims Biden has asked him not to leave.
As a sign of Kirby’s rising star, he has begun accompanying the president aboard Air Force One on domestic trips as well as international visits, reportedly at the request of senior White House adviser Anita Dunn.
The pair were only confronted once about the arrangement, in September 2022, when Kirby flatly dismissed questions from Today News Africa reporter and occasional briefing room reporter Simon Ateba about whether he was a “second press secretary” effectively doing the same job. as Jean-Pierre.
“If anyone gets any kind of idea in their head that’s it [I’m] take from Karine or her work, that is truly regrettable. And I’m very sorry that that’s the impression that anyone would have,” Kirby said at the time.
“I can come here from time to time to talk to you about national security issues. That’s my portfolio. That is where I am limited. That is where I will stay,” he added, noting that his appearance in the briefing room was preceded by an invitation from, and approval of, Jean-Pierre.
President Biden officially offered Jean-Pierre the role as Psaki’s successor, but muddied the waters by adding that he would be working with Kirby. AP
Ateba has not been called to ask questions since then.
Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, Kirby has been by Jean-Pierre’s side at more than 30 press briefings, with the press secretary making only one solo appearance in that time.
Complicating matters is Jean-Pierre’s unnecessary history of creating headaches for the White House.
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In June, the Office of Special Counsel ruled Jean-Pierre’s repeated use of the term “Mega MAGA Republicans” ahead of the 2022 midterm elections was a violation of the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activities that could influence elections.
However, the agency declined to take further action, saying only that White House counsel disagreed that his statements were prohibited under the act.
Jean-Pierre also drew sharp criticism during a press briefing on October 23 when he answered questions about the rise of antisemitism in the US, claiming the White House did not see “any credible threat” against the Jewish community before turning to talk about hate crimes against Muslims. and Arab Americans.
Jean-Pierre later told Fox News Digital that he had misheard the question before strongly condemning the “disgusting rise in antisemitic rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and hate crimes in our country,” which he called “a growing threat.”
A White House official who works closely with Jean-Pierre and Kirby told The Post they don’t see any signs of a rift between the two.
“As someone who spends more time ‘behind closed doors’ with these two than anyone else, I don’t recognize this description of their relationship at all,” the official said. “The truth is the opposite – they talk all the time and have a collegial and collaborative relationship.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
