(FiveNation.com)- Last Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki insulted Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy during an appearance on the podcast “Pod Save America.” After facing blowback for the inappropriate remarks, Psaki then tried to make excuses and walk back her comments.
Speaking with “Pod Save America” hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor (all former Obama aides), Psaki was asked if Peter Doocy really is a “stupid son of a bitch” or does he just play one on TV.
The question was about this January hot-mic remark by President Biden:
Biden: What a stupid son of a bitch pic.twitter.com/K8H74Vfv8m
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 24, 2022
Egged on by the laughing and cheering audience, Psaki decided to give them the red meat they were desperate for, telling the crowd that Doocy works for a network that provides him with questions that might make “anyone sound like a stupid son of a bitch.”
Jen Psaki is asked if “Peter Doocy is a stupid son of a bitch or does he just play one on tv:”
“He works for a network that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a bitch.” pic.twitter.com/2FYMPX12Rr
— Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) April 15, 2022
But it wasn’t Psaki saying Doocy sounds like a “stupid son of a bitch” that prompted much of the blowback; it was her claim that Fox News tells Doocy what questions to ask during the press briefings.
Instantly, Fox News reporters and hosts were quick to dispute the claim that anyone at Fox is told what to say or what questions to ask.
Fox News anchor John Roberts tweeted that Doocy is the one who decides what questions he wants to ask, telling Psaki that Doocy’s “philosophy is a basic tenet of journalism,” namely “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Others on Twitter were quick to point out Psaki’s clear conflict of interest. Here is Biden’s press secretary, who will soon be joining MSNBC, attacking a competitor’s reporter.
By Friday, Psaki was forced to issue a tweet “explaining” her remarks.
She explained that the clip was out of context, noting that in the full interview, she also described Doocy’s “grace.” She said she made it clear in that clip that she wasn’t being critical of Doocy. Instead, she was criticizing “the slant of some Fox topics.”
In short: “I was attacking Fox by saying Doocy sounds like a son of a bitch, but I also said nice things about him.
