Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Thursday he “would feel shamed” if he refused to answer questions on President Joe Biden’s classified documents.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has repeatedly referred reporters to the White House Counsel’s Office and Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding any questions relating to the classified documents in the president’s personal possession. John Kirby, the National Security Council strategic communications director, said at Wednesday’s press briefing that “everyone” knows the requirements for handling classified material inside a sensitive compartmented information facility [SCIF].
“The press secretary in this case, her political and personal needs dovetail perfectly with the stonewalling needs of the Biden White House,” the Bush-era press secretary said. “And that’s why she won’t answer any questions. I could’ve played that game innumerable times as press secretary, but you get to the point where you say I’ve got an obligation, actually, these are fair questions, good questions, and I’m the press secretary. It’s my burden to answer them.”
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“In some ways, I would feel shamed if somebody else took to the podium and answered the questions that it was my job to answer and I think a little bit of that is what you saw yesterday,” he continued. (RELATED: ‘She Has Not Answered A Single Question’: CBS News Anchors Call Out KJP Over Biden Docs)
Reporters have consistently demanded answers on information related to the documents found in the Biden Penn Center and inside the president’s private residence in Wilmington, Delaware. His personal counsel found ten documents at the Penn Center on Nov. 2, and more were discovered in searches conducted Dec. 20 and throughout January.
Jean-Pierre denied having knowledge of additional documents at a Jan. 14 briefing held one day before Biden’s special counsel announced the findings of five additional documents in his home. In response, several White House reporters continuously pressed her on whether she regrets previously disclosing “inaccurate” information.
“I have been forthcoming from this podium,” Jean-Pierre said at the Jan. 17 briefing. “What I said yes to is what the statement at the time that we all had. Right? You all had the statement and I was repeating what the counsel was sharing at that time.”
At Tuesday’s briefing, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy threw a handful of questions at Jean-Pierre, all of which she dodged by referring him to the White House Counsel’s Office. He specifically asked if the discovery of the documents will impact Biden’s plans for 2024.
Jean-Pierre has vowed to remain “prudent” and “consistent” on answering questions related to the documents and said the White House takes classified information “very seriously.”