Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy sparred with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on pro-abortion protesters “intimidating” Supreme Court justices.
Doocy questioned President Joe Biden’s position on pro-abortion protesters’ encounters with the justices after Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh was forced to exit from the back of Morton’s restaurant in Washington, D.C., as protesters gathered out front demanding he be kicked out.
“We have been pretty clear on this, the president has been very clear that we condemn any intimidation of judges in this specific question here,” Jean-Pierre said. “[The president] has signed a piece of legislation making sure that they have the protection that they need.”
“But you never said, ‘Don’t go to their houses,’” Doocy interrupted. “So, as long as they’re peaceful, would you say, ‘Don’t go to a restaurant that a Supreme Court justice is at?’”
Jean-Pierre said the administration condemns any kind of intimidation of the Supreme Court justices. She added that the administration encourages peaceful protests.
“So, it’s okay if protesters know that a justice is out to eat at a restaurant that they can go and protest, as long as they are what you consider peaceful,” Doocy said. “That’s okay?”
The press secretary repeated that the administration encourages peaceful protests but will condemn all forms of intimidation against the justices.
“So, where’s the line? If protesters can go to a justice’s house and they can go to a restaurant, where is it that you don’t think it’s appropriate for a group of protesters to go?” he asked.
“I just laid out … we condemn intimidation, we condemn any violence and we’ve been very clear, it is a clear definition of what violence is and what intimidation is,” she said. “Peaceful protest, people should be allowed to be able to do that.”
“In a restaurant?” Doocy pressed.
“If it’s outside of a restaurant, if it’s peaceful, for sure,” she said.
“Really?” he asked. “So these justices, because protesters do not agree with an opinion that they signed onto, have no right to privacy, is what you’re saying.”Jean-Pierre said citizens have the right to peacefully protest in a democracy. When Doocy asked if the justices have a right to privacy, she said people have a right to both privacy and peacefully protesting.
“You just said it’s okay if [the protesters] go to a restaurant,” he said.
“I said peaceful protest should be allowed. We do condemn intimidation and we condemn any violence, whatever type of violence,” she said.
“We have shown how we want to make sure that intimidation and violence is not the way to go,” she said. “It is not the way to have a political discourse. I’m done here, Peter,” she concluded.
This is an excerpt from The Daily Caller.
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