White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was grilled by reporters after British Prime Minister spoke with members of the media inside the Oval Office, saying the administration was unhappy he “called on” reporters “without alerting us in advance.”
“The British Prime Minister in the American Oval Office called on British reporters, and when American reporters tried to call on the American President, we were escorted out,” said one reporter.
“He called on individuals from his press corps without alerting us to that intention in advance,” fired-back Psaki.
.@PressSec is asked about President Biden kicking out the press after British PM Boris Johnson called on reporters:
"He called on individuals from his press corps without alerting us to that intention in advance." pic.twitter.com/8m6UCPa3tK
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 22, 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson took questions from the American media inside the White House this week while President Joe Biden refused to speak with the reporters, prompting his handlers to usher the media out of the Oval Office.
“IN THE OVAL OFFICE… @POTUS Biden and British PM @BorisJohnson meet to discuss pandemic, trade and other issues. Johnson took 3 questions. White House aides shouted down U.S. attempts to ask questions. I asked Biden about southern border and we couldn’t decipher what he said,” posted CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe on Twitter.
IN THE OVAL OFFICE… @POTUS Biden and British PM @BorisJohnson meet to discuss pandemic, trade and other issues. Johnson took 3 questions. White House aides shouted down U.S. attempts to ask questions. I asked Biden about southern border and we couldn’t decipher what he said. pic.twitter.com/A86kgdfsuc
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) September 21, 2021
UPDATE: We have played back the tape and part of the president’s answer is decipherable. I asked for his response to the situation on the southern border and he says in part, “Violence is not justified.”
He is wearing a mask and there is shouting so nothing else is decipherable
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) September 21, 2021
WH Staff handler abruptly ends meeting fearing Biden will make a fool out of himself (again) in front of PM Boris Johnson pic.twitter.com/edy9Eil7RB
— SgtPepper1964 (@SPepper1964) September 22, 2021
Shortly after the meeting the press pool filed a formal complaint to Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s office.
“US @WhiteHousepress pool immediately protests Oval Office treatment. (This dispatch from radio pooler and @whca president @stevenportnoy.),” Voice of America journalist Steve Herman reported.
“The entire editorial component of the US pool went immediately into Jen Psaki’s office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the president’s Oval Office, and that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed O’Keefe’s question about the situation at the Southern Border. Biden’s answer could not be heard over the shouting,” the statement reads. “Psaki was unaware that the incident had occurred, and suggested that she was not in position to offer an immediate solution. Your pooler requested a press conference. Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week.”
Read the full report at Fox News.
DONALD TRUMP: Joe Biden's Border Disaster the ‘Greatest Crisis in the History of Our Country’
Former President Donald Trump released a scathing statement on the escalating border crisis over the weekend, saying the current problem is rapidly turning the United States into a “cesspool of humanity.”
Trump says US becoming a 'cesspool of humanity' amid border crisis https://t.co/tFgzHfTfOc pic.twitter.com/OODql2ha5o
— New York Post (@nypost) September 19, 2021
“The largest number of illegal aliens in the history of our Country are pouring in by the millions. They are totally unchecked and unvetted, can do whatever they want, and go wherever they want. Our Country is rapidly becoming a cesspool of humanity. Murderers, drug dealers, and criminals of all shapes and sizes are a big part of this massive migration. Tens of thousands of people are coming from Haiti, and many now from countries in Africa, even more so now than South America. Nothing is done and the corrupt Mainstream Media is giving almost no attention to what will be perhaps the greatest Crisis in the history of our Country. This is not just a Border Crisis, this is a Crisis Crisis. God Bless America!” posted Trump on his webpage.
At least 14,000 migrants -most from Haiti- are currently gathered under an international bridge near Del Rio, Texas.
More than 200,000 migrants illegally entered the United States in August, a 317% increase from the same time last year under President Trump.
DHS CHIEF: ‘We’re Starting to See the Results’ of Joe Biden’s ‘Immigration Plan’
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praised the Biden administration’s “plan” on immigration Wednesday, saying “we’re starting to see the results.”
“We do have a plan to address migration at the southern border. We’re executing it. It takes time, we’re starting to see the results,” said Mayorkas.
The DHS Chief made similar comments earlier this week when he insisted that “our borders are not open” as thousands of Haitian migrants huddled under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas.
“We have reiterated that our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey. Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion,” said Mayorkas.
Biden DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas continues to claim “our borders are not open” despite border crossings being at a 21-year HIGH. pic.twitter.com/xlxxU85WLj
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 20, 2021
More than half of the nations’ Governors sent a letter to the White House this week demanding a meeting with President Biden to address the escalating humanitarian disaster taking place along the US-Mexico border.
“As chief executives of our states, we request a meeting with you at The White House to bring an end to the national security crisis created by eight months of unenforced borders. The months-long surge in illegal crossings has instigated an international humanitarian crisis, spurred a spike in international criminal activity, and opened the floodgates to human traffickers and drug smugglers endangering public health and safety in our states. A crisis that began at our southern border now extends beyond to every state and requires immediate action before the situation worsens,” write the Executives.
“The negative impacts of an unenforced border policy on the American people can no longer be ignored. Border apprehensions are up almost 500% compared to last year, totaling more than 1.3 million—more people than the populations of nine U.S. states. Approximately 9,700 illegal apprehensions have prior criminal convictions. Cartels and traffickers are making $14 million a day moving people illegally across the border. More fentanyl has been seized this fiscal year than the last three years combined—almost 10,500 pounds of fentanyl when only 2 milligrams prove fatal. This is enough to kill seven times the U.S. population,” added the group.
Watch Mayorkas’ comments above.