Another Day, Another Grilling For WH Press Secretary

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced another day of grilling over the news that classified documents in President Joe Biden‘s possession were found stored at an office and in a residential garage. When pressed by NBC News chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker on when Biden might address the public on the issue, the press secretary said she doesn’t have a “magic wand” to produce that answer.

Jean-Pierre repeatedly referred reporters to ask their questions of the Department of Justice, a deferment she attributed to the White House restoring “independence” to the DOJ. Several reporters challenged that “strategy” resulting in a back-and-forth dynamic about where the press secretary did not answer questions so much as insist that the administration is being transparent and cooperative.

When MSNBC’s Welker pressed KJP over when and how President Biden might speak to the American people about the subject — which for the last year has been told about how significant these issues are to national security — the press secretary testily replied that she doesn’t have a “magic wand” to know when the president might do so.