By Angela Johnson
Conservative Republicans stay coming for White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Back in June, ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson hurled a series of insults her way, calling her âthe dumbest, nastiest, most dishonestâ person that President Joe Biden could find for the job.
Name-calling, while disrespectful, is something that comes with the job. But this time, they took it too far when they tried to go after her pockets.
Representative Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) introduced an amendment to reduce Jean-Pierreâs salary to $1. But it didnât get the backing it needed to pass, as 54 Republicans sided with all Democrats against the decision to dock the Press Secretaryâs pay.
Tenney tried to make her case on the House floor today, accusing Jean-Pierre of lying to the American people, âacting in a condescending manner,â and violating the Hatch Act.
Passed in 1939, the Hatch Act is a federal law put in place to prevent partisan political activity on the part of government employees. Tenney cited Jean-Pierreâs use of the phrase âMAGA Republicans,â as her justification for the violation.
The New York Republican also threw in an allegation of antisemitism based on Jean-Pierreâs initial refusal to condemn people removing posters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas when asked by NBC Newsâ Peter Alexander this week. The Press Secretary later issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, condemning the actions of those tearing down the pictures as âwrong and hurtful.â
It shouldnât be lost on us that Jean-Pierre is the first Black and openly gay White House Press Secretary in history. And while the current state of politics in our country has folks stooping to a whole new level of disrespect, House Republicans should know that the last thing in the world you want to do is mess with a Black womanâs paycheck.