After Dems and President Joe Biden linked election denial to “fascism,” Fox News journalist Peter Doocy questioned White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday about her prior allegations that the 2016 election was “stolen.”
As the November midterm elections get near, Biden has criticized so-called “MAGA Republicans” with more inflammatory language, charging that they have adopted “semi-fascism” by supporting former President Donald Trump and contesting the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Last Thursday, Biden criticized Trumpism as “extremism that challenges the fundamental basis of our Republic” in a speech that sparked intense controversy during prime time.
Biden made an effort to explain his meaning in remarks on Friday, claiming that he was not referring to Trump supporters but rather to certain politicians’ unwillingness to denounce the incident at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, or their “failure to realize when elections were won or lost.”
Jean-Pierre clarified during the press conference on Tuesday that Biden is not calling GOP voters radicals; rather, he is referring to the elected leaders who represent their interests and ideas.
She told reporters, “He has been very clear that he is talking about office-holders and elected politicians that have these MAGA, ultra-MAGA Republican objectives.”
Doocy, though, questioned whether the president’s comments also applied to Democrats who erroneously said that Russia manipulated the 2016 election in favor of Trump. “What about the 2016 election if we’re all in agreement that it’s improper to suggest the 2020 election was stolen?” Doocy enquired. Jean-Pierre, though, sidestepped the issue.
“Look, I won’t revisit our previous situation or what transpired in 2016. We will concentrate on the present moment, on what is occurring right now,” She answered.
Doocy continued by inquiring about Jean-Pierre’s own claims. She wrote on Twitter in December 2016: “Stolen drone, stolen emails, stolen election. Welcome to the world of #unpresidented Donald Trump.”
Additionally, in 2019, Jean-Pierre disputed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s (R) victory over Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, who claimed Republicans cheated by using voting suppression and refused to accept the contest.
Jean-Pierre tweeted in response to someone who dubbed the 2018 election a “stolen election, Yes – the race was stolen. Kemp stole the governor election from Georgians and Stacey Abrams,” she alleged in April 2020.
Doocy remarked, “Well, fantastic, here we go. You said that Trump cheated at the polls. You claimed that Brian Kemp cheated in an election. Why wasn’t it extreme then, if contesting election results is severe now?”
