Biden learned of new chief of staff Jeff Zients’ landmark impeachment of Donald Trump, and received NO special notice, White House says
- Zients informed Biden of the news after learning of the media reports.
- He did not receive a “heads up,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
- Biden himself said he had “no comment on Trump” on Friday.
President Joe Biden learned the news Thursday that a Manhattan grand jury had indicted his predecessor, Donald Trump, from his new top aide, who learned of it through media reports, the White House said on Thursday. Friday.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with the president on Friday about the mechanics of how he learned the landmark news.
“Look, we found out — all of us, including the president, found out about the news yesterday, like every other American, through news reports,” Jean-Pierre said on the road with Biden to view the tornado damage. in Mississippi.
He then modified his statement to say that Biden learned secondhand through his top aide.
President Joe Biden learned of the impeachment of Donald Trump from White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, the White House said Friday. Biden did not comment on Trump’s accusation when asked about it on Friday.
“Your chief of staff, Jeff Zients, let you know what transpired through media reports, just like, again, just like all of you have.”
She stressed that Biden “was not given notice. Again, via media reports, this is how we found out about the indictment yesterday.
Zients, who previously served as Biden’s coronavirus coordinator, took up his new role in January, replacing chief of staff Ron Klain.
He did not directly respond to questions about whether Biden had been briefed on the matter or whether the administration was prepared for any civil unrest.
“The president certainly, and we’ve said this many times before, supports Americans who want to protest peacefully. And I’m just not going to speculate from here on what may or may not happen,” he said.
‘Clearly, we are always prepared. This administration is, and this government is always ready. But I will not go into speculation from here.
Biden “did not get a heads up,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients broke the news to Biden
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump for money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels
Donald Trump called the accusation “unthinkable”
Trump had called protests earlier this month, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called protests Friday and said she would be in New York when Trump is arrested on Tuesday.
Nor would he speak to any voter who heard Trump’s claim that the charges are political. Trump and his team have called it a “witch hunt.”
Jean-Pierre said “it’s not something we’re going to comment on.”
He emphasized Biden’s distance from reporting on a day when the president refused to address the issue, despite multiple attempts by reporters to get him to speak.
“I have no comment on Trump,” he said as he left the White House.