The Biden White House continued its pattern of being wholly unaccountable to the public and declining to answer anything but the easiest questions from their most favorable news outlets. WH Press Secretary Karine-Jean Pierre continued the trend Tuesday, flat-out refusing to say a word about the bombshell Durham Report which dropped Monday. The report found that there was no basis for the FBI’s “Russia Collusion” investigation, that the feds treated Hillary Clinton differently than Donald Trump, and that there were serious abuses of power by the Department of Justice.

You’d think the administration that the White House promised would “bring transparency and truth back to government” would want to weigh in on the matter. An ethical president would come out and promise to clean up the mess at the politicized DOJ and make those who abused their offices pay the price.

But this isn’t an ethical president or White House. Instead, when asked about the report Tuesday, Jean-Pierre sneered as if she’d just been served rotten fish for dinner, refused to utter a word about the damning findings, then punted the query down the road to the DOJ. After the reporter tried again, she shut him down and abruptly stomped off the podium.

Watch:

Reporter: "Any reaction to the Durham Report?"

Jean-Pierre: "I would leave it to the DOJ"

Reporter: "Biden always talks about how he wants the DOJ to remain independent but this report reflects the opposite."

Jean-Pierre: "That is with the DOJ. That's not something I'm going… pic.twitter.com/UVlLm2fVyL

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 16, 2023

Here’s how it went down:

REPORTER: What is the White House reaction to Special Counsel Durham’s report on how the FBI handled the Trump Russia probe?

KJP instantly took on an annoyed expression.

JEAN-PIERRE: “I would leave it to the Department of Justice to speak to,” she said curtly.

But the reporter persisted, a rarity among those in the White House Press corps in this day and age: 

REPORTER: [The president] talks often about how he wants the DOJ and FBI to remain independent, and you know, above the fray. That report seems to reflect the opposite—is, does he agree with Special Counsel Durham that there need to be wholesale changes at the FBI? 

JEAN-PIERRE: “Again, that is with the Department of Justice,” she replied, again looking none too pleased. “That’s not something I’m going to speak to from the podium.”

Um…why not? Isn’t that your job? She continued:

JEAN-PIERRE: As you just stated in your question, we believe in an independent Department of Justice. That’s what the president said when he was running, and that’s what the president has said the last two years.

Thank you so much, I’ll. See you guys in Japan.

[Abruplty marches away from the podium.]

There are several notable things about this press conference. The first is the utter disdain Jean-Pierre appears to show to the reporter when he asked an important question that has serious implications for our government. Second, she seemed to think that Biden’s promising to do something on the campaign trail meant that somehow magically it must have come true. “We believe in an independent Department of Justice,” she said. “That’s what the president said when he was running, and that’s what the president has said the last two years.”

Sure, he may have said that—but the administration has just been handed incontrovertible evidence that the DOJ has become weaponized and politicized, and you’re pointing back to stale campaign promises as your excuse? That is really weak sauce.

Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Jean-Pierre and her boss, Joe Biden. They claim things are true as if that makes it so, and they refuse to be at all transparent or answer any question that they consider “difficult.” It’s probably too much to hope for, but it’s time for the lame White House press corps to get off their butts and start doing some actual journalism and holding these people to account.