CNN’s Poppy Harlow Pushes Biden Spox Jean-Pierre to Say Whether POTUS Will ‘Apologize’ To Republicans For ‘Semi-Fascism’ Attack
CNN anchor Poppy Harlow bluntly asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “Will the President apologize?” for calling the MAGA movement “semi-fascism.”
One week ago, President Biden told the crowd at a DNC event that “what we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy. It’s not just — it’s not just Trump. It’s the –it’s the entire philosophy that underpins — it’s — I’m going say something — it’s almost like semi-fascism, the way in which it deals.”
The remark sparked intense reaction, including a demand for an apology from Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy‘s during his pre-buttal to Biden‘s speech on “The Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation.”
On Friday night’s edition of CNN’s OutFront, Harlow dutifully cried McCarthy’s demand to Jean-Pierre, whose lengthy response amounted to a “no” in Harlow’s estimation:
HARLOW: House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, as you know, just spoke a few minutes ago in the President’s hometown. No coincidence there, off-screens (ph) of pre-battle, if you will, arguing the President’s trying to distract Americans from the problems many folks at home face, kitchen table issues, the economy, education. He also called on the president to apologize tonight for saying as you know, a few days ago that the MAGA movement is quote like, semi-fascism. He said that at that private donor event. Take a listen to what McCarthy’s asking for.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: (VIDEO CLIP) When the President speaks tonight, at Independence Hall, the first lines out of his mouth should be to apologize for slandering tens of millions of Americans as fascists.
HARLOW: Will the President apologize?
PIERRE: You know, I’ll say this, Poppy. I will let the actions of Kevin McCarthy for over the past two years just speak for itself. There was a moment on January 6, or around January 6, where Kevin McCarthy, Martha McCarthy spoke very forcefully about what happened on that day, about what that attack meant for our nation. But you may have missed it if you blinked an eye, because sadly right after that, soon after that he aligned with the most extreme part of his party. And that is a sad thing to say, that is not a great thing to say. That is a sad thing to say as we talk about that mob, that insurrection that I just spoke about that landed on Capitol to attack on democracy, to attack law enforcement officers. Again, he spoke to it and then you blink an eye again, you may have missed that.
HARLOW: So can I — we — I understand our viewers I think fully understand the shift that Kevin McCarthy made from what he said then to what he said later on, but I asked you about the President, and what the President will say tonight. So I’m going to take it as a no, the President will not apologize.
The president did not apologize then, nor has he since.
Watch above via CNN.
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