Politics

‘I Don’t Think Anything About This Is Funny’: Doocy Presses Psaki On Texas Democrats Fleeing State

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy pushed press secretary Jen Psaki on President Joe Biden’s support for Texas’ fleeing state legislators.

Doocy asked a hypothetical question during Wednesday’s press briefing comparing the actions of the Texas Democrats — who fled the state to deny Republicans the necessary quorum to pass a voter integrity measure — with Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate. (RELATED: Biden Dials Up The Heat And Calls GOP Voter Bills Greatest Threat ‘Since The Civil War’)

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“Do you know any examples from his 36 years in the Senate that Joe Biden just hopped on a train and left town to avoid a vote that he knew he was going to lose?” Doocy asked.

“Welcome back,” Psaki laughed, prompting laughter from the press corps as well. “Look, I think the president’s view is that these Texas legislators were making a statement through action in opposition to efforts in their state to oppose restrictions on people’s fundamental rights.”

Psaki noted that Vice President Kamala Harris had met with the Texas Democrats and that President Joe Biden supported their efforts to stand up and use their voices against the Texas legislation.

Biden referred to that and similar efforts in other states as the greatest challenge to democracy “since the Civil War” during a Tuesday address.

“Maybe it is funny to think about it that way but the president is talking about this as the most serious assault on democracy since the Civil War,” Doocy continued.

“I don’t think anything about this is funny,” Psaki interrupted. She said that 28 states had either already passed or were in the process of passing laws making it more difficult for people to vote. In fact, Psaki appeared to be referring to reports on 28 similar voter integrity measures either passed or in progress in 17 states.

Doocy continued to push back, arguing that Biden had run his campaign on promises to work across the aisle with Republicans and asking whether the Texas Democrats would be better able to effect change if they went back to Texas and sat down at the negotiating table.

“Does [Biden] think that the best way to keep something bad from happening — that he thinks is bad — from happening in Texas is for these lawmakers to be hiding out in a different state or for them to go back and sit down at the table?” Doocy asked.

Psaki replied simply that Biden was in favor of working together whenever the two sides could find areas of agreement.