AMAC Exclusive - By Andrew Abbott
Following Joe Biden’s announcement earlier this week of new sanctions on Russian entities as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the President, as has become customary in this White House, immediately left the podium without taking questions from the press. Since the start of the crisis, Biden’s almost nonexistent availability to journalists has grown even more pronounced, and has begun to rankle at least some of the normally Democrat-friendly press. But as the country continues to face not only foreign disasters but a number of worsening domestic crises as well, even those administration officials who do take questions from the media haven’t had many satisfactory answers and have often lashed out at reporters – leading to some speculation that even the liberal media may be turning on their friends in the administration.
With Biden’s unwillingness – or inability – to take questions himself, even more of the pressure to provide answers to the media has fallen on his press secretary, Jen Psaki. At first, the overwhelmingly liberal White House press corps fawned over Psaki as one of the “adults” that Biden was supposedly putting back in charge. Psaki promised to bring “truth and transparency back,” and the media eagerly lapped it up, describing her as a “breath of fresh air.”
However, that perception soon changed as it became clear that Psaki had no intention of being truthful or transparent and became incredulous any time a reporter failed to simply take her at her word or dared to push back on the administration’s narrative.
One of the clearest signs of fracture came last December as Psaki mocked and dismissed the idea of sending COVID test kits to American households. Following backlash from the media and the public, the White House announced they would do just that.
Then earlier this month, she went after another reporter for questioning the administration’s narrative on the February 2nd military operation that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. According to the White House, al-Quarayshi detonated a suicide bomb that killed thirteen other people, including women and children. But, as reporters, no doubt remembered a drone strike ordered by Biden in Kabul last year to take out another supposed ISIS leader instead killed a U.S. aid worker and his family. When a reporter expressed skepticism at Psaki’s narrative this time, she mockingly replied, “And ISIS is providing accurate information?”
It hasn’t just been Psaki who has turned a once-loving relationship with the press into a rockier one. Perhaps the most contentious exchanges between the media and a Biden official in recent weeks occurred between State Department Spokesperson Ned Price and Associated Press reporter Matt Lee regarding the Ukraine crisis. Since the buildup of Russian forces on the Ukraine border began, Price has gone to great lengths to assure the Pentagon press pool that “the world is united in opposing Russian aggression,” specifically the U.N., U.S., E.U., and NATO. To Lee, a veteran reporter, and much of the world, however, this statement bordered on farce.
Lee questioned how the U.N. Security Council could be united in opposing Russia when Russia is on the Security Council and China, another Security Council member, is opposed to U.N. intervention efforts. In fact, not one of the coalitions Price discussed is “unified” against Russia or in favor of American intervention. A majority of Americans oppose any direct involvement in Ukraine. Multiple E.U. countries have been non-committal (most notably Germany). Ukraine is not a part of NATO, and therefore NATO is not obligated to intervene.
But when Lee pointed out these glaring contradictions, Price countered that “if the criticism is that we are engaging too robustly in diplomacy, that we’re being too transparent, that we’re being too consistent in what we’re saying, that is criticism that we will accept if that’s a criticism you want to lodge.” Price appeared shocked that a reporter would dare to question his statements.
Only a few days later, the two clashed over Russia again. Price asserted that the United States had credible intelligence that Russia might attempt a false flag operation in Ukraine as a pretense to invasion but provided no corroborating evidence. When asked, Price appeared to make the argument that his evidence for the false flag operation was that he was saying there would be a false flag operation and that Lee should simply believe him.
Lee grilled the Pentagon spokesperson on this point, and Price outright accused the AP reporter of rejecting western intelligence in favor of Russian propaganda, saying, “If you doubt the credibility of the US government… and want to, you know, find solace in the information that…the Russian government is putting out, that’s for you to do.”
They would have another contentious exchange over Iran later that week in which the Pentagon spokesperson again attacked reporters for challenging the official Pentagon narrative.
According to a recent Roll Call article, an unnamed White House reporter stated that the exchanges “mean no one is under any illusion anymore… all that was missing was Jen Psaki or Ned Price accusing NPR or AP of being enemies of the people.”
In another shocking break from the norm, the New York Times announced late last month that it is suing the State Department for “allegedly withholding correspondence mentioning Hunter Biden and his former business associates that were sent or received by officials at the US Embassy in Romania.” After insisting throughout the 2020 election that anything related to Hunter Biden was “Russian disinformation” that deserved to be scrubbed from the airwaves, one of the most prominent liberal papers is now directly challenging the Biden administration for information on the President’s son.
In addition to the open hostility from the Biden administration when the media won’t simply do their bidding, the growing rift between the press and the White House also likely has something to do with the fact that the corporate heads of major media outlets recognize the undeniable truth that the American people are none too happy with the President or Congressional Democrats. As Biden continues to sink in the polls, the media undoubtedly recognizes that acting as his cheerleader no matter how bad things get is unwise from a matter of self-preservation.
There’s no doubt that in 2020, the media played a significant role in helping Biden take the White House. They covered for his many flaws, excused his basement campaign, and relentlessly pushed false narratives about Donald Trump’s record and agenda. They acted as de facto spokespeople for Biden’s campaign, assuring the public that everything would magically get better with Trump out of power. Now, it’s clear that things have only gotten much, much worse, and the media can no longer pretend that everything is going great. Furthermore, the Biden administration has, in many cases, blamed the media for not “selling” Biden’s agenda well enough, only adding insult to injury. With his first State of the Union taking place in just a few days, it may be that just when Biden needs the media the most, they are abandoning him in droves.
Andrew Abbott is the pen name of a writer and public affairs consultant with over a decade of experience in DC at the intersection of politics and culture.
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