If you can believe it, Wednesday marked the 200th episode of The Psaki Show (as per the AP’s Chris Megerian) and it featured some of everything, including a quintessential softball question about whether President Biden’s a morning or evening person and hardballs from Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich and Gray TV’s Jon Decker on the latest Biden White House word games.
The Washington Post’s Ashley Parker lobbed the embarrassing query in context of daylight savings time. It started out as worthwhile because she had sought the administration’s position on the Senate’s unanimous passagePsaki indicated that the bill would make it permanent. “don’t…at this point in time.”
Parker didn’t stop, he made a lot of fun with his follow-up. “Is the President more of a morning person or afternoon person cause people are often divided in those ways, so I’m just curious if…”
Psaki tried to be supportive, but she softly expressed her disbelief.
It is. Now, to delink it from the specific question, he is more of an evening person, but I don’t know what analysis you’ll provide, but I look forward to reading tomorrow.
A few reporters later, it was Jacqui Time and she picked up on an argument Psaki had made throughout the briefing that the guns, missiles, and other military equipment and firepower supplied to Ukraine in the war against Russia were merely “defensive” weaponry and not “offensive”
Ask her questions “lay out for us why the administration sees MiGs as provocative and javelins and stingers as not provocative,”Psaki stated straight-faced that “javelins and stingers are defensive weapons”While “MiGs are planes — are offensive weapons, which are a different type of military system.”
Heinrich moved on, but thankfully Decker would later drawing Psaki’s ire on this topic.
Heinrich deleted Cable News Watch tweets referring to the fact that two statements were made by the U.S. regarding their mission in Ukraine. has often called a “Jaq Hammer.”
This time, it was regarding reports that, as part of a new Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. would remove the Iranian military’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a list of terrorist organizations (click “expand”):
HEINRICH Do you think the White House would be willing to remove the IRGC’s name from the list of foreign terrorist organizations in exchange for a nuclear deal?
PSAKI: We’re still in negotiations, so I’m not going to speculate or outline from here what the final details look like.
HEINRICH – These are the people who fired missiles on U.S. installations in Iraq. So, as long as Americans aren’t killed, are there — are there no consequences for something, all in an effort to get a nuclear deal?
PSAKI: Again, you’re speculating on something that is not even finalized. The agreement is still not in place. The deal is not yet finalized. There’s urgency to taking steps to contain that, which is why we have been engaged so closely. And that is all a result of President Trump pulling out of the deal and Iran moving closer to having the capacity and acquiring a nuclear weapon and speeding up their breakout time, so we are here thanks to the actions of the last president, and the last administration and it is in our interest — it is in the global interest, to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Decker — who spent six years with Fox News Radio before joining Gray TV, a local TV conglomerate — closed the briefing on a spicy note by reading from a White House fact sheet on what’s being sent to Ukraine as a way of wondering how anyone could see the haul as just “defensive” tools: “100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, and 400 shotguns. Are you saying those items are not offensive weapons?”
Psaki stayed true to her talk points. “[t]hey’re weapons that help the Ukrainian people fight against an invasion by a foreign country.”
Decker continued by asking if “[t]hey can be used offensively, can they not,” Psaki, however, stumbled once again.
This led the longtime reporter to twice inform her “the answer’s yes” even though “you don’t want to say it[.]”
The conversation turned to cross-talk. Decker, however, remained firm and said he was going to continue. “finish…making my point,” That included the truth that “[i]Ukrainian…take[s] out a Russian military official of some sort with these weapons,” It would. “offensive in nature.”
Nonetheless, Psaki didn’t budge other than to insist he’s mistaken because this whole matter was about “a difference that most people recognize.”
To see the relevant briefing transcript, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing [via CBSN]
March 16, 2022
Eastern Time: 3:28 PMJEN PSAKI: I would note that the equipment we’ve provided is defensive, as you know, not offensive and we see that as being the difference. We’re also looking at —
DAVID SANGER: But the planes can be used for offensive purpose and the anti-missile systems —
PSAKI: — correct.
SANGER: — cannot?
PSAKI: Correct. Also — also, I made note that what are department of Defense officials also assessed is what’s most effective. And while the Ukrainians still have squadrons of planes to utilize, as I think any military official could confirm for you, the types of assistance that we are providing today, including stingers and other assistance that we’re amping up support for, is exactly what we feel is effective in fighting this war.
(….)
Eastern Time: 3:31
ASHLEY PARKER: Is the administration expressing a view on Congress’ attempt to make daylight savings time permanent.
PSAKI: Yes, I’ve seen them. It was hard to come up with a joke. I couldn’t think of one. I don’t have a specific — we are, obviously, coordinated and work closely with Congress on all legislation they consider, but I don’t have a specific position from the administration at this point in time.
PARKER: Does the President seem more morning-oriented or afternoon-oriented? People are so divided, I am just curious…
PSAKI: Yes. Now, to delink it from the specific question, he is more of an evening person, but I don’t know what analysis you’ll provide, but I look forward to reading tomorrow.
(….)
Eastern, 3:34 PM
JACQUI HEINRICH – Just one more. Many people have been asking about MiGs. Can you explain why MiGs are seen as provocative by the Administration and not javelins or stingers?
PSAKI – First of all, javelins or stingers can be used as defensive weapons. MiGs are planes — are offensive weapons, which are a different type of military system. I would say the other assessment that we’ve done, not through the White House or the President, from — from the Department of Defense, is to assess what is effective and what works in terms of fighting this war on the ground and that is why we provided an additional $1 billion — 800 million announced today, but $1 billion this week of assistance, utilizing a number of the high level military systems, stingers, javelins, counter artillery, counter mortar radar, anti-armor systems that we know have been effective and we know the Ukrainians are trained on. Third, Ukraine’s air force already has several squadrons of mission capable aircraft and giving them more would not significantly change their effectiveness. Last, let me mention offensive and defensive. However, we do also have risk assessments by the Department of Defense on what might be considered escalatory, which is what I mentioned in the beginning.
HEINRICH It has been reported that the mission of the U.S. is to stop escalating beyond Ukraine. It is unclear what it means.
PSAKI: Yes, both.
HEINRICH: If we’re not specific about what exactly the desired outcome is, how do we expect to be able to —
PSAKI: Why could — why could both not be true? The sovereign Ukraine, and the halt to their expansion beyond.
HEINRICH: Okay. Then, moving onto the nuclear agreement, General McKenzie informed the Armed Services Committee, “From everything that he sees, the IRGC has been declared a terrorist organisation.” Do you think the White House would be willing to remove the IRGC’s name from the list of foreign terrorist organizations in exchange for a nuclear deal?
PSAKI: We’re still in negotiations, so I’m not going to speculate or outline from here what the final details look like.
HEINRICH – These are the people who fired missiles on U.S. installations in Iraq. So, as long as Americans aren’t killed, are there — are there no consequences for something, all in an effort to get a nuclear deal?
PSAKI: Again, you’re speculating on something that is not even finalized. The agreement is still not in place. The deal is not yet finalized. There’s urgency to taking steps to contain that, which is why we have been engaged so closely. And that is all a result of President Trump pulling out of the deal and Iran moving closer to having the capacity and acquiring a nuclear weapon and speeding up their breakout time, so we are here thanks to the actions of the last president, and the last administration and it is in our interest — it is in the global interest, to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
(….)
Eastern, 3:44 PM
JOSHWINGROVE: Are you stating that drones have been assessed by Defense Department not to be escalatory or offensive weapons and are not to be viewed as such?
PSAKI: I do not have any additional information beyond the facts sheet and details in it, but we did provide defensive weapons.
(….)
Eastern, 3:52 PM
JON DECKER: You put out a list of all the military equipment —
PSAKI: Yeah.
DECKER: — included in that $400 million — $800 million —
PSAKI: Yeah.
DECKER: — that’s being provided to Ukraine. Let me give you a list of those items: 100 grenade launchesers, 5,000 rifles and 1,000 pistols. There are also 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns. These items do not constitute offensive weapons, are you sure?
PSAKI: They’re weapons that help the Ukrainian people fight against an invasion by a foreign country.
DECKER: Can they be offensively used?
PSAKI: Again, there are weapons — what I’m talking about — is weapons that can —
DECKER: The answer’s yes, Jen.
PSAKI: — be used by —
DECKER: The answer’s yes. Although you may not want to admit it, the answer is no. And so, obviously you’re trying to make this distinction between offensive —
PSAKI: Well, what we’re talking about —
DECKER: — and defensive weapons.
PSAKI: — let me finish. Please let me finish.
DECKER: Well, let me finish —
PSAKI: Let me finish.
DECKER: — cause I’m making my point —
PSAKI – Let me end my answer.
DECKER: — and you keep — no. After I finished my point, you could respond to it.
PSAKI: Okay. Go ahead.
DECKER: Okay. This is a distinction you make between defensive and offensive weapons. Anyone that has seen the weapons list I’ve just given will see they are obviously offensive. These weapons can be used to take down a Russian military officer or enlisted Ukrainian soldier if they have one. They’re offensive in nature, so why not provide more offensive weapons like this to the Ukrainian military?
PSAKI : First of all, we provide rifles, etc. It is important to distinguish between planes and large military systems. This is something that anyone would be able to recognize. And what we were talking about — which is giving rifles and pistols to, many of them farmers and people living in countrysides to defend themselves. I think there’s a difference that most people recognize.
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