‘It’s not a yes or no question’ Karine Jean-Pierre’s bizarre response asked if big cities are safe

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not have a clear answer Monday on whether American cities are “safe” amid a spike in crime in recent years.

“The crime is complex and multifaceted,” the press secretary said when asked about the safety of American cities.

‘[Biden] inherited a rising crime rate from the previous government,” added Jean-Pierre. She noted that Republicans voted against the US bailout plan, which included $300 billion for state and local governments and could be used to hire more police officers.

“So back to the original question: Does President Biden think America’s major cities are safe?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked the press secretary.

“It’s not a yes or no question,” she replied.

“It’s very much a question of, what is he doing?” Jean-Pierre continued. “What matters is that we have the funding and have done the work, put the policy forward.”

“The crime is complicated and multifaceted,” the press secretary said when asked about the safety of American cities

Murder in major cities has fallen slightly by four percent in 2022, but remains 30 percent above 2019 levels. violent crime in 2020 and 2021.

Murder rates skyrocketed amid the chaos of Covid-19 lockdowns and following a spate of sometimes violent protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the summer of 2020. The right blamed the liberals on the ‘defund the police’ movement and soft – on-crime policies such as cashless bail.

Yet the homicide rate is below the peak of the early 1990s, when more than 9 out of 100,000 people were murdered. Today, that number is about 6.6 people per 100,000.

Other forms of crime are still increasing. Thefts and robberies rose by 20 percent in the first half of 2022 from last year, after falling or staying the same in the previous two years, according to the Criminal Court.

Jean-Pierre’s comments come after her predecessor Jen Psaki said on MSNBC last weekend that crime could be a “huge vulnerability” for Democrats.

Psaki predicted on Sunday that the crime issue would continue to weigh on Democrats — citing Republicans’ efforts in the Pennsylvania Senate race, where ex-Braddock mayor and current Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman will take on Trump-backed celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Speaking of the left, she said, “They also know that crime is a huge vulnerability for Democrats, I’d say one of the biggest vulnerabilities.”

“In Pennsylvania, Republicans have spent millions of dollars on crime ad broadcasts against Fetterman because they see vulnerabilities there,” Psaki claimed.

“So yes, the economy is above all else, but you have to look at factors by state and crime is a huge problem in the race in Pennsylvania.”

“Jen Psaki says crime is a huge vulnerability for Democrats.” Why would she say that?’ Doocy asked Jean-Pierre on Monday.

“I disagree with your portrayal of what she actually said,” the press secretary retorted.

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now an MSNBC host, weighed in on Democrats’ prospects for the midterm elections during a Meet The Press panel discussion

Serial killer who killed two homeless sleeping on benches in Manhattan’s parks has been arrested and walked into Central Booking

On Thursday, the House voted to pass a bipartisan legislation to increase funding for local police forces

On Thursday, the House voted in favor of bipartisan legislation to increase funding for local police forces, establish a grant program to train and dispatch mental health professionals in behavioral health emergencies, and fund grants to communities for intervention. and prevention of violence. It’s not clear whether the bill will make it to the Senate, which passed another police funding bill last month.

The first bill in the package to increase police funding narrowly beeped by progressive opposition. Democratic moderates grew increasingly frustrated as a vote on police funding was pushed aside, seeking a hard win in crime to take home to their conservative-oriented districts ahead of the midterm elections.

A new CBS News battleground tracker poll suggests that rising crime is a top problem for nearly 7 in 10 voters this year — and that they believe the GOP has a head start in solving it.

Republicans have made crime, along with inflation and the southern border, one of the central pillars of their race to regain control of the House and Senate in midterm elections.