White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was widely criticized on social media for avoiding a question about crime in Washington, D.C. She initially claimed she wouldn’t get into politics on this issue, only to immediately blame Republicans for the violence. A reporter at Wednesday’s press briefing asked Jean-Pierre if the President believes the nation’s capital is safe for Americans to visit, citing rising homicides, crime, and carjackings. Jean-Pierre responded by saying that violent crime is unacceptable and communities across the country need to be called out. She then blamed congressional Republicans for getting in the way of making communities safer and urged them to join the fight against crime. Viewers on social media criticized Jean-Pierre’s response, with one user describing her as “a slow-motion fireball in a theatre with no exits.” Others pointed out her contradictory statements and lack of accountability. The criticism of Jean-Pierre’s response is particularly significant given that it comes two weeks after Mike Gill, who worked at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, was shot and killed in a carjacking in D.C. Despite these rising crime rates, Jean-Pierre’s attempt to shift blame onto Republicans is baseless, as the city council and mayor’s office have no Republican representation. Additionally, a recent Rasmussen poll indicates that Republicans are more trusted to handle crime and law enforcement issues than Democrats.
Unraveling Karine Jean-Pierre’s Perspective on Crime in the Nation’s Capital
