Reporter Spars With Jean-Pierre During Briefing – Trump News Today

A reporter with the New York Post briefly sparred with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during her briefing.

Post correspondent Steven Nelson complained that Jean-Pierre had ignored his questions for “two seasons.” He interrupted her during the briefing when she attempted to call on another reporter.

“You haven’t called on me in two seasons, Karine,” Nelson said, according to Fox News.

“And I’m not calling on you today,” Jean-Pierre responded as she pointed to another reporter, saying, “Go ahead.”

Nelson fired back: “You should be ashamed of that. That shows disrespect to a free and independent media to blacklist one of our country’s largest and most widely read newspapers, Karine. That shows contempt for a free and independent press.”

“I’m calling on somebody who I haven’t called on for a long time as well. Go ahead,” the press secretary replied as she took a question from a different reporter.

Advertisement

Later, Nelson took to the X platform to comment on the exchange.

“The @NYPost is our country’s oldest daily newspaper. We have 4th-largest print circulation and only NY Times has more web traffic @PressSec last called on me in May, and on a colleague in July. The May exchange was also about press freedom issues,” he wrote in a post where he linked to a story about the Biden administration’s pre-screening process for reporters at exclusive events.

The @NYPost is our country’s oldest daily newspaper. We have 4th-largest print circulation and only NY Times has more web traffic@PressSec last called on me in May, and on a colleague in July. The May exchange was also about press freedom issues: https://t.co/lNhoE8KSfD https://t.co/4FdRDZvlQ3

— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) October 11, 2023

Asked for a comment by Fox News, Nelson responded that he would “let what (he) said stand.”

The Post reporter has frequently engaged in verbal combat with the Biden White House, including the president himself. In June, for instance, he confronted President Biden over allegations that, as vice president, he was involved in a bribery scheme with officials in Ukraine.

“Why did the Ukraine FBI informant file refer to you as the ‘Big Guy,’ Mr. Biden?” Nelson asked.

After pausing briefly, Biden deflected with a question of his own: “Why’d you ask such a dumb question?”

Fox News noted further:

Most recently, Jean-Pierre ignored a question from Nelson regarding how more than half of voters told CNN that they believed Biden was involved with his son’s business dealings.

Last week, the press secretary snapped at another reporter who said he had waited four months to ask a question, telling him, “You’re wasting our time, sir.”

In June, KJP stumbled badly when trying to dance around a question about Hunter Biden that was asked by a CNN reporter, who inquired as to why the first son was at a state dinner after pleading guilty to federal charges.

“And then, secondly, the President invited his son, Hunter, to the state dinner last night. I’m wondering if you could take us into the thinking and decision-making of why the President decided to invite his son,” CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond said.

Advertisement

“I — I’m just not going to get into family discussion — personal family discussion. As you know, Hunter is his son. I’m just not going to get into that,” Jean-Pierre said, attempting to sidestep the topic.

“Well, let me ask you this: If Hunter Biden wasn’t the President’s son, would he have invited someone who had just reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors two days earlier to the dinner?” the reporter said.

“Well a couple of things. Again, that’s his son. It’s a — he’s a family member. It is not uncommon for family members to attend events at the White House. We could look at past presidents; I’m sure you have. So that is not uncommon. As it relates to anything related to — to Hunter, I’m just not going to respond to it from here,” she said before calling on someone else.