CNN, Fox News TORCH Jen Psaki on Biden Delegitimizing 2022 Midterms

In addition to making headlines by giving Russia the green light for a “minor incursion” into Ukraine during a press conference on Wednesday, President Biden dropped jaws when he declared the 2022 midterms would be illegitimate if the Senate didn’t pass the federal takeover of elections. It was an announcement that caused serious concern on both sides. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who was being relentlessly quizzed by CNN and Fox News Channels on Thursday.

Psaki grabbed one of the team’s as she ran to the rhetorical buzzsaw that was. America’s NewsroomFNC co-hosts Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer. “Last night, on the eve of his anniversary in office, those reforms failed. So, I’m curious if he will continue to say that those 2022 elections will be illegitimate,” Perino pointedly asked.

Psaki responded with her usual word salad stating that “the President [had spoken to her] a lot about this and he absolutely is not predicting that the 2022 elections would be illegitimate” and how “the point he was making the former president asked a number of states, seven or more, in fact, to overturn the outcome of the election.”

Hemmer counted by pointing to the fact Biden was very specific with his criticism and “brash” in his statements. He also noted that Biden’s home state of Delaware went most of his life without the voting laws he’s demanding now:

HEMMER: The minority vote was mentioned. HEMMER: He spoke up about the minority vote. And you’re right, we had the largest turnout we’ve seen on a percentage basis in 120 years. States are also changing their laws right now. Joe Biden’s lived in Delaware for 70 years and they have early voting for the first time this coming November in ‘22.

PSAKI: Bill. It should be the baseline. All should have early voting access.

Fast forward to the late afternoon and Psaki was getting pressured by CNN’s Jake Tapper on The leadHe was determined to keep going.

“‘I’m not saying it’s going to be legit.’ I mean, he’s not saying that it’s going to be legitimate. That is pretty clear,” he said, quoting Biden directly. Psaki claims that Biden complimented Americans for overcoming voter suppression in 2020.

“He was directly tying the legitimacy of the November elections with the election reform bills that failed last night. He was asked a clear question and said it depends,” Tapper shot back.

After playing a soundbite of Biden fumbling his way through a question from News Nation’s Allison Harris from the press conference, Tapper had this scathing retort:

I mean, isn’t the correct answer, “if this isn’t passed do you believe the upcoming election will be fairly conducted and legitimate”; isn’t the correct answer, “yes, it will be fairly conducted and legitimate?”

Tapper did hit on the tired notion that the state-level election laws being enacted by Republicans were “born from the big lie,” but he did acknowledge “some of it is election officials saying we’re not in the middle of the pandemic like we were in November 2020.”

Building off of that, he posed the big question: “if we’re saying that there is no election that’s legitimate if there are efforts to suppress the vote, then when has there ever been a legitimate election in this country? Trying to suppress American votes has been going on since the founding of this country?”

Tapper began to get more and more frustrated as Psaki danced around the question, but did not provide a satisfactory answer. At one point, he slapped his hands together and elevated his voice as he spelled out what Biden should have done and how even Vice President Harris was suggesting 2022’s results wouldn’t be legitimate (click “expand”):

However, he did not say that elections will be legal. He said that he would make sure the elections were legitimate. We’ll fight to ensure they’re legitimate. Voters need to get out and vote. I mean, he basically refused to say that, definitively, that they’re going to be legitimate.

Today, Vice President Harris and Savannah Guthrie refused to confirm that the results would be valid. She pivoted to saying, quote, “we as America cannot afford to allow this blatant erosion of our democracy and in particular the right of all Americans who are eligible to vote to have access to the ballot unfettered.”

“So, I hear what you’re saying, but you do not seem to be on the same page as the President and Vice President,” he exclaimed before she answered and they moved on to Biden’s comments about Russia.

You can click on “expand to view the transcripts” below.

Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom
January 20, 2022
Eastern, 9:41:18

(…)

DANA PERINO : These reforms collapsed last night on the eve his anniversary as an office holder. It is my curiosity to know if he will keep claiming that the 2022 elections are illegitimate.

JEN PSAKI: Well, first, I’ve talked to the President a lot about this and he absolutely is not predicting that the 2022 elections would be illegitimate.

He was pointing out that even in difficult circumstances, there was record voter turnout in 2020. Republicans and Democrats both had record turns out to the polls.

The former president was asking a variety of states to reverse the results of the election, at least seven in number.

Now, obviously, if there’s an effort to do that we have to fight against that. It’s our mission. However, he wasn’t making any predictions. He has confidence in the American people and we’re going to do everything we can to protect people’s rights.

BILL HEMMER: Bill mentioned the minority vote. This was something he said quite loudly. And you’re right, we had the largest turnout we’ve seen on a percentage basis in 120 years. States are also changing their laws right now. Joe Biden’s lived in Delaware for 70 years and they have early voting for the first time this coming November in ‘22.

PSAKI: Bill. It should be the baseline. Everyone should be able to vote early. You know, if you’re a parent of two kids or three kids. It is difficult to have more than two children. Some people may have four or five. There should be more locations where you can drop your ballot and more areas you could early vote. It should serve as a standard across the nation.

As it pertains to minorities voting, we are aware that voter suppression has the greatest impact on minority communities.

(…)

CNN’s The lead
January 20, 2022
Eastern, 4:05:21

(…)

JAKE TAPPER: “I’m not saying it’s going to be legit.” I mean, he’s not saying that it’s going to be legitimate. It’s quite obvious.

JEN PSAKI: Well, here’s what his intention was, Jake. But that was not his intent. He wasn’t trying to foretell that the 2022 election would be invalid. Actually, the reverse. His view – and he told us this privately a lot – is that in 2020, the American people rose to the moment. We had COVID. The vote was being suppressed by some. Yet, they still turned out in record amounts.

(…)

Eastern Time: 4:06 p.m.

TAPPER : This was the direct connection between the legitimacy and the failure of last night’s election reform bill. It depended on him when he was asked the question. Have a look.

[Cuts to video]

ALLISON HarRIS: Even if this bill is defeated, are you still convinced that the election in November will be free and fair?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT

[Cuts back to live]

TAPPER: I mean, isn’t the correct answer, “if this isn’t passed do you believe the upcoming election will be fairly conducted and legitimate”; isn’t the correct answer, “yes, it will be fairly conducted and legitimate?”

PSAKI – That’s Jake. We have also all experienced, and you have done extensive reporting about, attempts to alter the outcome for 2020.

(…)

Eastern, 4:07:32

TAPPER : This is why the President wanted to make it more difficult to vote. State-level efforts to hinder voting. While some of this is undoubtedly a result of the great lie, others are nefarious. Some officials claim that we are not currently in the middle, or in the midst, of the pandemic. You don’t have to do it all like we did.

My bigger question, though, is this: If we say that an election is not legitimate because there have been efforts to suppress it, when was the last legitimate election held in this country? The suppression of American votes is a long-standing practice since the inception of our country.

(…)