White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki wasn’t about to let Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy make light of voting rights in the United States, and she expertly swatted him down during Wednesday’s daily press briefing.
Doocy began by bringing up Texas Democrats who have left the state to keep Republicans from passing new voting restrictions, asking:
“About voting rights and Texas lawmakers who have come to Washington, do you know of any examples from his thirty six years in the senate that Joe Biden just hopped on a train and left town to avoid a vote that he knew that he was going to lose?”
Psaki replied:
“I think that the president’s view is these Texas legislators were making a statement through action in opposition to efforts in their state to oppose restrictions on people’s fundamental rights and the right to vote in their state. That is why they departed. The vice president met with these legislators yesterday. And the president, I should say, certainly applies their action and outspoken opposition to efforts to put in place restrictive measures in their state.”
That led Doocy to sarcastically respond:
“Maybe it’s funny to think about it that way.”
But the press secretary was having none of it, and she quickly shot Doocy down:
“I don’t think anything about this is funny. I think what is important to note though here is that there are 28 states, including Texas, where there are laws in place or in process to make it harder to vote and it requires bold action, it requires bold voices to speak out against that and make sure people understand their rights.”
Doocy thought he’d try and attack the administration again with this query:
“Does the candidate who is now president who told people who knew how to make deals with Republicans, he’s meeting with Republicans today, does he think the best way to prevent something that he thinks is back from happening is for lawmakers to be hiding out in a different state or to go back and sit at the table?”
But the press secretary was more than ready for that one, too, telling the Fox flunky:
“The president believes you should work together in areas where you can find agreement, as he is on a bipartisan infrastructure framework that will help rebuild roadways, railways and bridges around our country. Also, that you should be outspoken where you have concerns about affronts to democracy.”
Game, set, and match, Jen Psaki.
Here’s the video of Psaki smacking down Doofus Doocy: