This is an administration that gets ahead of every single narrative. "It's not actually a recession." "We have zero percent inflation." "My predecessor is the one who signed this Afghan withdrawal." So why the sudden silence when it comes to the FBI raiding the residence of the former President?
The only thing resembling a statement has been from Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter."
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But they also emphasize how independent he and the other law enforcement agencies are from the White House. So if that's what the DOJ has to say, why isn't the White House talking?
Fox News' Peter Doocy: "Do you consider Donald Trump to be a political rival of President Biden."
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: "I'm not going to speak to that from here."
Why? Because you can see where this line of questioning leads. If Biden is involved in persecuting a political rival, the ethics get...impeachable. Just ask Donald Trump.
Doocy: "Does the President still feel he would be very fortunate to run against Trump in 2024 like he has said before?"
Jean-Pierre: "Again I'm not going to comment."
These are not controversial questions. These are literally things Biden has said while in office, that are suddenly off limits for the White House.
Jean-Pierre: "All I can tell you Peter is that the President intends to run in 2024."
Cool. Not the question being asked.
Doocy: "Is there a concern here that if you guys don't say more, then these Republicans who are accusing this White House of weaponizing the Justice Department, weaponizing the FBI, that's going to become the public sentiment. If you guys don't say, once and for all, 'We are not doing that.'"
Jean-Pierre: "First of all, we're just not going to comment."
Doocy: "Is this White House weaponizing the Justice Department and the FBI against political opponents."
Pause. This is a lay-up. If they're not, then now is the time to say, "Of course not, Peter."
Jean-Pierre: "Peter, the President believes in the rule of law. The President believes in the independence of the Department of Justice.....I am answering the question and I am telling you we are not going to comment on a criminal investigation."
The press vacuum created by the White House is creating its own story, one that is indefensible. That government agencies ARE using their power to persecute a domestic political opponent, and that's mid-century dictator-stuff.
The only other time Karine Jean-Pierre defers to "no comment" is in matters that seem to directly implicate the President. For instance, the Hunter Biden laptop. They stay as far away from that subject as possible, anytime the subject comes up at press briefings. The echo here is that these things DO, then, implicate the President, and Americans are yelling rather loudly that they've had enough.
Ryan Wiggins is the author of the extremely serious and not funny robot novel, The Life of Human, and is a writer and producer of television shows. He is the host of Wiggins America on 97.1 FM Talk in St. Louis.
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