Fox News’s Peter Doocy grilled White House press secretary Jen Psaki on the nationwide crime surge and skyrocketing murder rate during a press conference Monday.
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“Does he [President Joe Biden] know that after a year in office people do not feel safe in this country?” Doocy asked, in reference to the soaring crime rate across the U.S. (RELATED: ‘That’s Not The Question I Asked’: WH Reporter Challenges Psaki During Heated Spar Over COVID Tests)
“Well, Peter, I think if we look at the facts here, we have seen a surge of crime over the last two years. Would you agree with that?” Psaki responded.
“So what are you attributing the rise of crime to then?” Doocy said.
“Well, I think we should be responsible in how we’re reporting to the public what the roles are and what the reasons are for the surge in crime,” Psaki said. “Gun violence is a huge reason for the surge in crime. Underfunding of some police departments and their need for additional resources, something the president has advocated for consistently through the course of his career, that’s something we know we need to take action on.”
Doocy then pressed Psaki on the murder rate reaching a “25 year high,” and why Americans haven’t seen or heard more from Biden on the issue. Doocy also noted that Americans have heard from Biden on the COVID-19 pandemic but pointed out that the “murder rate is a risk to American people too, right?”
Psaki responded by saying that people are “focused on” the actions Biden has taken, including his strategy to focus federal law enforcement resourcing on fighting violent crime and his “unprecedented” levels of funding towards rescue plans to afford more officers in cities. (RELATED: ‘Defund The Police’ Is So Unpopular That Democrats Are Now Claiming Republicans Did It)
Doocy again said that the murder rate was reaching a “25 year high,” asking if Biden was considering doing anything different to combat the surge.
Psaki responded by asking if the administration should focus on something other than cracking down on gun trafficking and gun violence and working to support community policing programs. She also noted that “most people who want to fight crime would agree that’s the right approach.”