Media top headlines January 13
In media news today, Associated Press tells staff to ‘avoid emphasizing COVID case counts, the Economic Council director urges the media to focus on wage increases instead of inflation, and the mainstream media drags Rand Paul for clashing with Dr. Fauci.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was hammered by critics Wednesday for invoking former President Trump while dismissing condemnation of the vitriolic language used by President Biden in his voting address.
During the daily White House press briefing, Psaki was asked by a reporter specifically about Sen. Mitt Romney's, R-Utah, criticism, in which he slammed Biden for not using the speech to unite Americans. In the speech, Biden likened foes of proposed Democratic election overhauls to segregationists.
Press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily White House press briefing on Jan. 12, 2022 in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
PSAKI BRUSHES OFF MCCONNELL, CALLS CRITICISM OF BIDEN'S SPEECH ‘HILARIOUS’
"And so, President Biden goes down the same tragic road taken by President Trump — casting doubt on the reliability of American elections," Romney said during a Wednesday speech on the Senate floor. "This is a sad, sad day. I expected more of President Biden, who came into office with the stated goal of bringing the country together."
Psaki responded by not specifically addressing the criticism toward Biden's speech, but instead redirected by slamming Trump over his rhetoric surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
"With all due respect to Sen. Romney, I think anyone would note there is a night and day difference between fomenting an insurrection based on lies totally debunked by 80 judges … and making objectively true statements, which is what the president made yesterday about the effects of a coordinated nationwide effort to undermine the constitutional right to vote," Psaki said.
President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks on voting rights on the grounds of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 11, 2022. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo)
TUCKER CARLSON: BIDEN'S SPEECHES REVEAL WHAT HE THINKS OF AMERICANS
"I know there has been a lot of claim of the offensive nature of the speech yesterday, which is hilarious on many levels, given how many people sat silently over the last four years for the former president, but I would note that in our view, and the president's view, what is far more offensive is the effort to suppress people's basic right to exercise who they want to support and who they want to elect. That's not a partisan thing, and that was why he gave such a strong speech yesterday," she added.
Critics took to social media to blast Psaki, with some calling her an "embarrassment" to the country, and others pointing out that Romney voted twice to convict Trump during his Senate impeachment trials, despite her claims he "sat silently."
BIDEN SAYS THOSE WHO OPPOSE DEMOCRAT VOTING RIGHTS BILL ARE ON THE SIDE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
Other critics suggested Psaki was incompetent and mocked her dismissal of Biden's rhetoric, despite both repeatedly criticizing Trump in the past over his statements and tone.
"This new 'Biden's just as good as Trump!' messaging is an interesting twist from Dems," one critic wrote.
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