White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki continued to swat down Fox News reporter Peter Doocy’s insinuations disguised as questions during the daily press briefing.
And this time it took no effort at all. With less than a dozen words and a sigh of exasperation, Psaki spelled it all out slowly for him.
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Yesterday wasn’t a good day for Doocy as Psaki handily brushed away his leading questions.
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When he misquoted President Joe Biden in an attempt to make it seem like the president is pushing COVID-19 vaccines on Americans without listening to scientists, she just read the actual quote.
And when he asked whether migrants were being asked “for proof of COVID vaccination or negative COVID test” before being allowed to cross the border, he walked right into the classroom and got schooled.
“That’s the policy for people who fly into the country,” Doocy demanded. “So why if somebody walks into the country right across the river, does somebody ask them to see their vaccination card?”
“Let me explain to you again, Peter, how our process works,” Psaki replied. “As individuals come across the border and they are both assessed for whether they have any symptoms. If they have symptoms, the intention is for them to be quarantined. That is our process.”
A person who flies into the country has to provide proof of vaccination or a negative result from a test taken within the last three days before departure. Migrants, many of them poor and lacking access to healthcare, are assessed at the border.
“These are individuals – as we’ve noted and has been discussed – we are expelling individuals based on Title 42 because of COVID, because we want to prevent a scenario where large numbers of people are gathering, posing a threat to the community, and also to the migrants themselves.”
“So those are the policies that we’ve put in place,” she added, “because the CDC continues to recommend Title 42 be in place, given we’re facing a global pandemic.”
Title 42 is a Trump-era law that allowed the administration to expel migrants without giving them a chance to apply for asylum. It was renewed by the Biden administration to the dismay of immigration advocates.
Over 1.1 million immigrants have been expelled since the policy was instituted.
