Jean-Pierre Faces Scrutiny Over Biden's Cognitive Acuity, Declines to Apologize for Hur Comments on MSNBC

Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced pointed questions on MSNBC's "The Weekend: Primetime" regarding her past defense of former President Joe Biden's cognitive abilities and her criticism of Special Counsel Robert Hur's report. During the interview, host Elise Jordan directly asked Jean-Pierre, "Have you apologized to Robert Hur?" a query that prompted a visibly taken-aback response from the former press secretary. The exchange occurred as Jean-Pierre promoted her new book, "Independent."

Jordan pressed Jean-Pierre on her previous characterization of Hur's 2024 report, which questioned Biden's memory, as "gratuitous" and not living "in reality." The MSNBC host highlighted that Biden's "mental decline" had become apparent to many Americans following his June 2024 debate with Donald Trump, contrasting it with Jean-Pierre's earlier statements from the White House podium. She further noted that Hur was "unemployable for a period because of the attacks from the Democrats and from the White House that you were at the podium leading."

Jean-Pierre responded by emphasizing her daily interactions with the former president, stating, "I saw the president every single day. It wasn’t one-offs, it wasn’t once in a while, I saw him every day." She maintained that her public statements were based on her direct observations of Biden being "very zeroed in and focused on" his duties. Later in the interview, co-host Ayman Mohyeldin asked if she had "any regrets" about her tenure as press secretary.

While acknowledging that "we did not get everything right," Jean-Pierre ultimately declared, "I don’t take anything back. I was really proud of everything that I did." She reiterated her pride in serving as the White House Press Secretary, particularly as a Black, queer woman, and stated she performed the job "to the best of my abilities" on behalf of the President. Her appearance comes amidst a media tour for her recently released book.