Jen Psaki Responds to Backlash Over Her Vulgar Shot at Fox News' Peter Doocy
White House press secretary Jen Psaki says her denigration of Fox News reporter Peter Doocy was just professionals talking the way professionals do.
On Thursday, Psaki was interviewed for the podcast “Pod Save America,” during which a reference was made to a January hot mic comment in which President Joe Biden, irked by a Doocy comment, called the reporter a “stupid son of a b—h.”
Psaki was asked whether that actually was a fair characterization.
“He works for a network that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a b—h,” Psaki replied.
It did not go over so well.
The White House Press Secretary has signed an MSNBC hosting deal while still at her job and is out doing a media tour and zero journalists have a problem with this. https://t.co/JpUR0uA0ge
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) April 15, 2022
Meghan McCain twisted the knife, commenting that Fox News is “the only cable network Jen Psaki hasn’t negotiated a fat check with to go work for. How is language like this toward @pdoocy ‘respecting everyone’ and ‘healing the soul of America.’”
The backlash prompted Psaki to respond on Twitter.
“Full video shows I also told a story about Peter’s grace last night and made very clear I was not being critical of him or any reporter at Fox, and instead was critical of the slant of some Fox topics. He is doing his job. I am doing mine. We debate. We disagree. I respect that,” she wrote.
Full video shows I also told a story about Peter’s grace last night and made very clear I was not being critical of him or any reporter at Fox, and instead was critical of the slant of some Fox topics. He is doing his job. I am doing mine. We debate. We disagree. I respect that.
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) April 16, 2022
Her reference was to her fears that Doocy would use the Biden comment from January as a chance to slam the president.
As noted by the New York Post, Psaki only offered that comment after she was asked if she could tell “a nice Peter Doocy story” before recounting her experience watching Doocy’s “Hannity” appearance after Biden called the reporter to apologize.
But Psaki’s comment did not calm the waters.
Are your doing your ‘job’ for @msnbc while also doing the one the tax payers pay you for ?
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) April 16, 2022
Your tone with him is nasty, disrespectful and dismissive – every single time he asks a question of you.
You’re an embarrassment to your profession.
— David Wohl (@DavidWohl) April 16, 2022
Jen Psaki hit rock bottom with her vulgar attack on Peter Doocy. If she wasn’t already leaving, I’d be calling for her removal.
— Lavern Spicer?????? (@lavern_spicer) April 15, 2022
Fox News itself issued a statement defending Doocy.
“In his role as White House correspondent, Peter Doocy’s job is to elicit truth from power for the American public,” the statement said, according to New York Post. “His questions are his own, he is a terrific reporter and we are extremely proud of his work.”
However, CNN’s Brian Stetler came to Psaki’s defense, according to the Daily Mail.
“And I think the point she is trying to say there is that Fox pushes storylines that are sometimes nonsense. Doocy does that in the briefing room. But still, she did it in a way playing to a liberal audience, that certainly is going to cause a lot of outrage from Fox. Probably for the next few days, right?”
“I think Jen Psaki is kind of like – you remember in your senior year, spring of your senior year, when you are about to graduate, and you are just tired of all this?” he said, referring to Psaksi’s expected upcoming leap to MSNBC. “I think we are seeing that from Jen Psaki.”
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