Since January White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has patiently informed Fox News’s Peter Doocy of facts in a wide variety of issues, deftly taking his uninformed questions, knowing it is likely the only way the Biden administration’s words will be broadcast to far right wing viewers.
But Psaki appears to be growing tired of Doocy’s attempt to twist facts to meet his agenda.
On Monday, Doocy once again tried to conflate the administration’s efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic with undocumented migrants entering the country illegally – forcing Psaki to once again school the 34-year old Fox News personality.
“What’s going on at the border? Is somebody asking the foreign nationals who are walking in Del Rio, Texas and setting up camps on this side of the border for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test?” he asked, despite his network’s daily on-air opposition to so-called “vaccine passports” and even the vaccine in general despite having a corporate policy mandating proof of vaccination for employees or daily testing.
“Well, first of all I can re-address for you or re-talk you through what steps we take,” Psaki offered before Doocy interrupted her.
“Compared to the policy for people who fly into the country. So, if somebody walks, into the country, right across the river, does somebody ask to see their vaccination card?” Doocy in a staccato voice queered.
“Well, let me explain to you again, Peter how our process works,” Psaki, losing patience, replied. This is not the first time he has made this comparison.
“As individuals, as individuals come across the border, and they are both assessed for whether they have any symptoms, if they have symptoms they are, the intention is for them to be quarantined. That is our process, they’re not intending to stay here for a lengthy period of time, I don’t think it’s the same thing. It’s not the same thing,” she said as Doocy tried to talk over her.
“These are individuals, as we’ve noted and as we’ve been discussed, we are expelling individuals based on Title 42, specifically 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 put in place, in large part because, again, the CDC continues to recommend title 42 to be in place given we’re facing a global pandemic.”