Karine Jean-Pierre, CBS correspondent Ed O'Keefe clash at White House press briefing
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was caught off guard by the tense line of questioning from CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe about President Biden's classified documents controversy.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had a heated exchange with CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe over President Biden's mishandling of classified documents.
O'Keefe began his line of questions at Wednesday's White House press briefing by asking whether Jean-Pierre was aware of any conversations in the White House since early November, when classified documents from Biden's time as vice president were found at Penn Biden Center, about waiting to disclose it to the public until this week.
"Look, I understand you guys are going to have a lot of questions on this. I get that," Jean-Pierre said. "I know you guys are going to have a lot of questions on process and specifics. And what I can tell you is that I'm not going to go beyond what the president laid out. I'm not going to go beyond what my White House counsel colleagues have stated. I would refer you to them for any other specifics or additional information. I want to be prudent here. I want to make sure that we do this in the appropriate way."
"You're not going to answer the questions, but we're going to ask them because that's our job," O'Keefe told the press secretary.
"I understand," Jean-Pierre responded. "And my job is to answer your question. So here we go! Let's go!"
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced tough questions about President Biden's mishandling of classified documents at the press briefing on Jan. 11, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The CBS News reporter cited a comment Biden made in the early days of his presidency when he said, "I'm going to make mistakes. When I make them, I'll acknowledge them, and I'll tell you. And I'll need your help to help me correct them."
"So, you're the one here talking to us about this. That's why we're asking you. So let's just remember that," O'Keefe said to Jean-Pierre.
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"Ed, Ed, Ed, we don't need to have this – we work very well together," Jean-Pierre interrupted. "We don't need to have this kind of confrontation. Ask your question and I will answer them the best that I can."
"Part of the reason we're laying that out is because you're laying out your part of the job, we're laying out our part of the job, which is asking questions," O'Keefe shot back.
"I know, but I'm just saying we don't need to have contention – you don't need to be contentious with me here, Ed," Jean-Pierre said.
CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe sparred with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the press briefing on Jan. 11, 2023. (Screenshots/White House )
O'Keefe went on to grill Jean-Pierre on the timing of the disclosure, asking "if it had anything to do with the fact that the election was just a few days away." She responded by reiterating that "this is under review by the Department of Justice."
"But there was nothing stopping the president of the United States from disclosing the discovery of these classified documents in his former office before it was under Justice Department review. So why didn't he disclose it?" O'Keefe asked.
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"What I can tell you right now is what the president – is share with you what the president said to all of you, right, which is he was surprised by this. He definitely, truly respects the process here. And also when it comes to classified-he takes classified documents very seriously. And, again, I'm going to leave you to the information that the president provided to all of you and also, just yesterday, in front of many of you and or your colleagues, and also what my White House counsel colleagues shared on Monday."
President Biden is under fire for having classified documents stored at his think tank Penn Biden Center in the years following his vice presidency. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Following Wednesday's briefing, it was first reported by NBC News that a second batch of classified documents were found at a location separate from the Penn Biden Center.