White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has clearly grown tired of Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, even growing apparently angry after delivering an exceptionally long and detailed response to his claim President Joe Biden isn’t doing enough to “keep Americans safe.” After he asked, “Would you agree that the most important job for any president is to keep Americans safe?” Doocy got slammed with facts.
Crime has existed in America since before America was America, but Doocy suggested in his first year President Biden should have somehow eliminated crime.
"If the President’s never satisfied if people don’t feel safe,” Doocy began, “does he know that after a year in office, people do not feel safe in this country?"
"Well, Peter, I think if we look at the facts here, we’ve seen a surge of crime over the last two years. Would you agree with that?” Psaki replied.
“So what are you attributing the rise in crime to that?” Doocy said to a very prepared Psaki, who, in a rare move, accused him of not being “responsible” in his reporting.
“Well, I think we should be responsible in how reporting to the public what the, what the, what the roles are, what the reasons for the surge in crime,” she began.
"Gun violence is a huge reason for the surge in crime. Underfunding some police and police departments and their need for additional resources is something the President has advocated for consistently through the course of his career. That’s something we know we need to take action on. And it is absolutely true that he will not be satisfied or complacent when officers are being gunned down or when Americans have to worry about whether they can safely ride the subway or bus,” Psaki continued, growing more and more angered. “That should not be a political issue. He’s somebody who has had a long career, many decades of fighting for funding for police departments for local communities in order to reduce crime.”
Doocy was undeterred.
“He’s been here in office for more than a year, and the murder rate is nearing a 25-year high. So why don’t we see and hear more from the President about this? We hear all the time about things that you guys are doing to fight the pandemic. Because that is a risk to American people. A rising murder rate is a risk to American people too.”
“And he has spoken to crime, but I think what people are most focused on as they should be are what actions he has taken. He has unveiled a strategy to focus federal law enforcement resources on combating violent crime, offered unprecedented levels of funding through the rescue plan for cities and states to put more cops on the beat and invest in proven community anti-violence programs, something every Republican voted against.”
“The Department of Justice has announced $139 million in grants to cities for community policing, which will put 1000 more officers on the streets. He’s also proposed doubling those grants, and he’s called for an additional $750 million for federal law enforcement. He’s announced a zero-tolerance policy for gun dealers who sell, willfully sell, illegal guns and we’ve launched gun trafficking strike forces in New York and cities across the country. Actions are important here and he has a long record of them.”
“Does the President think that any of that is working?” Doocy dared to ask.
“The president thinks you should have a plan to address crime and gun violence. He has one, and we look forward to working with people who support that effort.”
Watch The Entire Exchange Below:
Reprinted with permission from Alternet
