White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday was forced to respond to a reporter wanting the White House to overstep its constitutionally-necessary separation of powers role to weigh in on the trial of Derek Chauvin, who is facing second degree murder charges for killing George Floyd. The jury on Monday is hearing closing arguments from both sides.
In what has become a regular requirement, Psaki was forced to educate a press pool reporter, in this case CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who asked, “If it is a not-guilty verdict will the President be disappointed?”
In a previous administration Donald Trump might have weighed in frequently, likely demanding the jury acquit Chauvin, while attacking the victim.
Psaki took the high road, as best as possible.
“I think we’re not going to get ahead of the jury, the legal process and the jury making their deliberations, Kaitlan, and when the jury makes their deliberations and concludes and a verdict is found, I’m certain the President will speak to that.”
Collins is a former reporter for Tucker Carlson’s white nationalist-aligned Daily Caller website, and replaced CNN’s Jim Acosta when the Biden administration entered the White House.