White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton replaced press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the briefing room podium on Tuesday.
Dalton, who some speculate could be a replacement for Jean-Pierre, has led press briefings on Air Force One in the past, but Tuesday’s presser marked the first time Dalton led the briefing from the physical podium.
Jean-Pierre was not in attendance.
A White House official told the Caller, “It’s standard for the principal deputy to brief. Karine did so many times while Jen was Press Secretary.” (RELATED: White House Spokesperson Says Banning Sexually Explicit Books Threatens ‘Civil Rights’)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 27: Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton steps to the podium before the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Earlier in the briefing, National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard highlighted several economic indicators that she said showed that President Joe Biden’s plan, or “Bidenomics,” is working. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 27: Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton talks to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Earlier in the briefing, National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard highlighted several economic indicators that she said showed that President Joe Biden’s plan, or “Bidenomics,” is working. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Dalton, like Jean-Pierre, refused to speak about the IRS whistleblower’s testimony about Hunter Biden.
“Does the White House believe Attorney General Garland committed perjury when he testified under oath that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss could bring charges outside of his district?” the New York Post’s Steven Nelson asked, referring to the whistleblower testimony released to the public on Thursday.
“I don’t have any comment on this,” Dalton responded.
Jean-Pierre has also been frequently accompanied by White House national security spokesperson John Kirby at the briefings, who often speaks for around half the time.
Dalton stepped up to the podium after a chaotic briefing on Friday. During the heated presser, several reporters yelled at Kirby and followed up with Jean-Pierre over an alleged 2017 text message in which Hunter Biden invokes his father, who he said was sitting next to him, to threaten a Chinese business associate.