Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York proposed reducing White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s salary to $1.
Tenney said Jean-Pierre has repeatedly lied to the American public while acting as the mouthpiece for President Joe Biden and his administration.
“Mr. Speaker, during Ms. Jean-Pierre's tenure as press secretary, she has repeatedly lied to the American people and acted in a condescending manner toward reporters and also violated the Hatch Act,” said Tenney on Nov. 9.
“The Hatch Act prevents executive branch employees from advocating for political or commercial interests while on the job,” reports The Hill. “Tenney pointed to Jean-Pierre’s use of the phrase 'MAGA Republicans,' which a watchdog has said was a violation of the law.”
Tenney continued:Just to name a few of the lies, Ms. Jean-Pierre has claimed: one - illegal immigration is down under the Biden administration. She also claimed nobody is just ‘walking in’ across the southern border. She also claimed that the 2016 election was stolen. She also claimed that Governor Brian Kemp stole the 2018 governor’s race from Stacey Abrams. She also claimed that Biden’s stimulus bill did not impact inflation. She also claimed that Critical Race Theory or its equivalent isn’t being taught in our schools. She also claimed that nobody has done more for the southern border, or our border in general, than Joe Biden.
“How can somebody with such a history of deceit continue to serve as the liaison for the president and the American people?” the Republican said. “The American people should not be forced to pay the salary of an individual who dispenses bold faced lies to the American people while they foot the bill.”
Tenney said the press secretary has a “history of antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric." The congresswoman cited a 2019 Newsweek opinion piece written by Jean-Pierre where she called AIPAC racist and Islamophobic for supporting Israel and stated that pro-Israel policies and values are not progressive values.
In the op-ed, Jean-Pierre urged Democrats not to attend the annual conference. She warned, “You cannot call yourself a progressive while continuing to associate yourself with an organization like AIPAC that has often been the antithesis of what it means to be progressive.”
“The organization has become known for trafficking in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric while lifting up Islamophobic voices and attitudes,” wrote the now-White House press secretary. “As we've seen over the course of the Trump administration's tenure, words can prove just as destructive as laws.”
“Mr. Speaker, I urge all colleagues to support this common-sense amendment to use the Holman rule to reduce Karine Jean-Pierre’s salary – the White House press secretary – to $1,” concluded Tenney.
The House of Representatives ultimately declined Tenney’s amendment. The chamber voted 257-165 with 54 Republicans joining Democrats to oppose the measure.
