President Joe Biden insisted that Americans who do not accept the results of elections represent a threat to democracy.
On Thursday, he delivered a prime-time address and blasted so-called “MAGA Republicans” over their claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He also claimed they “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
But he appears to conveniently be overlooking the past comments of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy noted, “You tweeted in 2016 that Trump stole an election.”
“Oh, I knew this was coming,” Jean-Pierre interjected. “I was waiting, Peter, [for] when you were going to ask me that question.”
Doocy pressed on, “Well, here we go. You tweeted Trump stole an election. You tweeted Brian Kemp stole an election. If denying election results is extreme now, why wasn’t it then?”
“Well, let’s be really clear, that comparison that you made is just ridiculous,” the press secretary said, adding, “I was talking specifically at that time of what was happening with voting rights and what was in danger of voting rights. That’s what I was speaking to at the time.”
Jean-Pierre also pointed out that she admitted former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) won in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
However, she did refer to Trump as “the person who occupied this campus, this facility” on Jan. 6, 2021. She also highlighted the riot at the U.S. Capitol and “MAGA Republicans” who “deny or do not want to really say what exactly happened on that day or say it was a protest.”
Watch the exchange below:
DOOCY: "You tweeted in 2016 that Trump stole an election."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 6, 2022
KJP: "I knew this was coming."
DOOCY: "If denying election results is extreme now, why wasn't it then?"
KJP: "That comparison that you made is just ridiculous." pic.twitter.com/EJyoykV1Ta
KJP defends questioning the 2016 & 2018 elections, telling Doocy she didn't storm the Capitol like on January 6 where "people died…Law enforcement were attacked…That's what [Biden] has called out…When you have MAGA Republicans…who…deny…[he's] going to call that out." pic.twitter.com/U90mqNCXbS
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 6, 2022
In 2016, Jean-Pierre tweeted, “Stolen emails, stolen drone, stolen election …..welcome to the world of [unpresidented] Trump.”
Stolen emails, stolen drone, stolen election …..welcome to the world of #unpresidented Trump https://t.co/NI7vqPV6cu
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) December 18, 2016
And in an April 2020 tweet from her personal account, she shared an article about Kemp stating that he did not know asymptomatic individuals could spread COVID-19.
“Reminder: Brian Kemp stole the gubernatorial election from Georgians and Stacey Abrams,” she wrote.
Reminder: Brian Kemp stole the gubernatorial election from Georgians and Stacey Abrams.https://t.co/ZIKGTd6U1v
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) April 2, 2020
As of Tuesday afternoon, those tweets have not been deleted.
And neither of them mentions anything about voting rights allegedly being stripped away. Rather, they simply claim that the 2016 and 2018 elections were stolen.
Regardless of whether or not violence follows the claims, it is irresponsible and dangerous to baselessly allege elections were stolen. That just further erodes trust in our electoral system and gives fuel to theories that voters’ voices are being stripped away.
Rather than trying to defend her past tweets, Jean-Pierre should just admit that those tweets were wrong. Otherwise, she just comes off as a hypocrite, and it’s hard to take her seriously when she criticizes other election deniers.