Karine Jean-Pierre, the Biden administration’s press secretary, criticized Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, alleging he was whitewashing the events of January 6, 2021, by not calling it “an attack on our democracy” and the “constitution.”
Speaking on MSNBC Friday, Jean-Pierre said Carlson’s coverage of the never-before-seen footage from Jan. 6 has been “misleading, and it is misinformation as with the conclusion of what happened on January 6th.”
“It was an attack on our democracy. It was an attack on our constitution, and you cannot whitewash that. Tucker Carlson cannot whitewash that. Anyone who doesn’t see with their own eyes what occurred cannot whitewash that,” Jean-Pierre added.
The White House press secretary went on to say that the Biden administration is standing “for the truth” while Carlson is not. “The president’s going to stand with the police officers, he’s going to stand for truth, and clearly that is not what Tucker Carlson believes in.”
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Earlier this month, Jean-Pierre made headlines after an African white house reporter, Simon Ateba, announced he would be taking legal action against her over claims she discriminated against him during press conferences.
In December 2022, Ateba first raised concerns he had with Karine Jean-Pierre that made his work life a “nightmare.”
“There’s a reason why your show is the most watched show in news in the U.S. Because you bring people like me. It’s been a disaster, a total catastrophe, a real nightmare covering the Biden White House,” Ateba told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
Ateba explained how he was a prominent voice for Africa in the U.S. but alleged there is an “astounding” and “disgraceful” amount of “discrimination against me and against African journalists in the White House.”
The journalist claimed he, at the time, had not been able to ask Pierre a question for three months. Ateba believes Pierre discriminated against him because of his ethnicity and accent. “I believe that it has to do with maybe two or three things. The first thing, I sound different. I wasn’t born here. I was born in Cameroon. I speak French. I speak different languages. I don’t have the American accent. I’ve tried. I’ve failed and I’ve decided I’ll stick with my accent.”
The former WHCA member also suggested his questions about COVID-19 and illegal immigration may lead to Pierre’s disdain for him.
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Attacked by pirates on the Gulf of Guinea with an AK47 to my head, kidnapped in Nigeria, dumped in the woods & left for dead, arrested in Cameroon during investigation & kept in dark cell only to be sidelined at the White House. This is how Tucker Carlson introduced me to America pic.twitter.com/bOLujRzKfi
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) January 14, 2023