Janice R. Andrews
On Monday, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy engaged White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a contentious argument about Vice President Kamala Harris’s position on President Biden’s border strategy. Doocy questioned whether Harris’s request for more border officers was a sign of disapproval for Biden’s handling of the situation at the southern border.
“For what duration of time are you aware that Vice President Harris believes President Biden is ineffective when it comes to the border?” Doocy enquired.
Jean-Pierre swiftly denied the inference, claiming that Harris’s viewpoint is consistent with the administration’s objectives. “You’re jumping really high. It was not spoken by her. That’s not accurate, she retorted.
Doocy continued, so much so that Jean-Pierre had to clarify that Biden is in favour of hiring more Border Patrol officers. She shifted the blame, saying that bipartisan border reform efforts were being obstructed by Republican politicians and former President Donald Trump.
“More Border Patrol agents are what the president wants.” Who is obstructing the path, you know? Republicans in the past administration and in Congress,” Jean-Pierre said.
Republicans have long criticised Harris, referring to her as the administration’s “border czar,” because of her work tackling the underlying factors that lead to immigration from Central and South America. Jean-Pierre made it clear, though, that Harris has not been in charge of daily border control.
Additionally, Jean-Pierre emphasised a bipartisan border plan that was previously put up to strengthen border security but was thwarted by Trump and members of the GOP. She emphasised, “There’s no daylight here,” rejecting rumours that there was discord in the White House.
The back-and-forth highlights the political sensitivities that still exist over the administration’s border policy: while the White House attributes the delayed attempts on GOP resistance, Republicans criticise Biden’s approach.
