White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told “This Week” host Jon Karl that President Joe Biden still hasn’t been briefed on the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago despite it happening almost a week ago.
Karl asked Jean-Pierre how concerned Biden was seeing the Department of Justice and the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence “play out” less than 100 days before the 2022 midterm elections, as seen in a clip shared on Twitter. “He ran on not politicizing the DoJ,” Karl continued, noting that the time of the raid created an “appearance” of politicization of the department.
Karl played a clip of Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik decrying the actions of the DoJ as political, a sentiment shared by former Democratic presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Pres. Biden has not been briefed on FBI search of former Pres. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, press sec. Karine Jean-Pierre tells @JonKarl.
“Not discussed…We have learned about all of this the same way the American people have learned about this.” https://t.co/zVnvUs7i3Y pic.twitter.com/xOg4MPBmty
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 14, 2022
Jean-Pierre first attempted to justify the raid as “right for the American people” and that Attorney General Merrick Garland is ensuring that the raid is not “politicizing” the DoJ. She emphasized that any suggestion that the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago was political was completely false.
“We do not get briefed,” Jean-Pierre continued, again emphasizing that this decision was made by Garland independently and that he will be left to “speak for himself” regarding this matter. “And even to this point, President Biden has not been brief about anything?” Karl asked Jean-Pierre. (RELATED: REPORT: Judge Who Approved FBI Raid On Trump Linked To Jeffrey Epstein)
“Not been briefed. We have not interfered. Not discussed,” Jean Pierre responded, “I’m gonna tell you Jonathan, we have learned about all of this the same way the American people have learned about this: through public reports. Through your reporting and every other has reported on this.”