White House Officials Were Reportedly Frustrated With Karine Jean-Pierre

One of the authors of a new book about former President Joe Biden and his administration revealed insights into how White House staffers truly felt about former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Alex Thompson, Axios correspondent and co-author of “Original Sin,” spoke about Jean-Pierre’s tenure during a recent book tour stop in Chicago.

Thompson said many Biden administration officials expressed frustration with Jean-Pierre’s job performance.

Despite this, Jean-Pierre was viewed as “untouchable” because of her close alliance with Anthony Bernal, a senior aide to former first lady Jill Biden.

According to Thompson, staffers were unhappy with how Jean-Pierre managed her duties as White House press secretary.

Many believed she was ineffective, lacked awareness of her shortcomings, and showed little effort to improve her performance.

Thompson added that Jean-Pierre focused more on boosting her own profile than fulfilling her responsibilities, as Fox News reported.

The Axios reporter also noted how Jean-Pierre’s recent announcement that she left the Democratic Party to become an independent angered many former Biden aides.

Staffers were reportedly frustrated because the Democratic Party had supported her rise to one of the top spokesperson roles in the country.

Thompson said this announcement caused “simmering resentment” within Biden circles to “explode instantly.”

Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and co-author of the book, said there would have been less criticism if Jean-Pierre had not switched her party affiliation.

Tapper expressed confusion over her decision to leave the Democratic Party after her White House tenure.

During a discussion moderated by NPR’s David Folkenflik, Tapper and Thompson were asked why many former Biden staffers criticize Jean-Pierre anonymously.

Tapper questioned the fear of speaking openly, asking, “What are you afraid of?”

Thompson explained that many former staffers do not want to speak publicly because they have moved on to new jobs and do not want their employers connected to negative commentary.

He also said the Biden White House culture was known to punish and attempt to silence those who spoke out, leaving some fearful of retaliation even after leaving.

Tapper added that Jean-Pierre’s status as the first Black woman and LGBT press secretary made former colleagues hesitant to criticize her publicly.

Both authors questioned Jean-Pierre’s credibility based on her defense of President Biden during moments of public scrutiny, such as his debate performances.

Tapper recalled a 2023 private fundraiser where Biden repeated a prepared story about the Charlottesville events, which Jean-Pierre later defended to the press as a sign of Biden’s deep conviction.

This was cited as an example of Jean-Pierre’s problematic handling of the press secretary role during challenging times for the administration.

The authors’ comments come as Jean-Pierre prepares to release her own book, which reportedly criticizes the Biden White House and her experiences there.

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