Fox News White House correspondents react to Jean
- Comments
Peter Doocy, Jacqui Heinrich share shock over Karine Jean-Pierre ditching Democrats: 'She was wrong'
Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy provides details on former President Biden's statement responding to claims he lacked control during his term and Karine Jean-Pierre's announcement that she is leaving the Democratic Party.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!Former Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stunned political circles by announcing she is leaving the Democratic Party and re-branding herself as an independent.
The move, unveiled alongside the upcoming launch of her new book, also shocked the Fox News White House correspondents who covered her closely and set off a firestorm with their Biden-era sources.
"I found her, behind the scenes, to be a very nice person," senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy recalled on "America's Newsroom" Thursday. "But it doesn't seem like anybody that worked with her thinks that, because the knives are out."
BIDEN-ERA WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS EXPRESS DISBELIEF ON KARINE JEAN-PIERRE'S SUDDEN PARTY SWITCH
Fox News' senior White House correspondents reveal ex-Biden officials' dismay at Karine Jean-Pierre’s departure from the Democratic Party ahead of a tell-all book. (Fox News Digital)
Doocy revealed he's received a barrage of texts from Biden administration figures blindsided by Jean-Pierre’s decision and angered by her criticisms of her former team.
"If you told me a year ago that people that worked for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris would be sending me this, I never would have believed it," he said.
Fox News senior White House correspondent and White House Jacqui Heinrich echoed Doocy's sentiment, saying her sources were equally surprised by Jean-Pierre’s announcement and her disavowal of the administration’s messaging, which she helped bolster for years.
FORMER BIDEN OFFICIALS RIDICULE KARINE JEAN-PIERRE'S BOOK AS 'BIZARRE CASH GRAB'
Jean-Pierre’s political shift comes ahead of her new book "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines," which promises an insider account of her time in the Biden administration.
Former President Joe Biden, accompanied by former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, jokes about taking so many questions during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 04, 2024 in Washington, DC. ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))
The book’s publisher writes that the memoir will focus on the "three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision."
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE RIPPED OVER 'FIRING SQUAD' RECAP OF BIDEN'S EXIT FROM RACE: 'STILL DOESN'T UNDERSTAND'
Jean-Pierre often had a visibly tense relationship with members of the press corps and was a staunch defender of Biden. She repeatedly defended the former president against growing concerns over his mental acuity and physical health, which she frequently brushed off as baseless speculation.
In a video promoting the book, Jean-Pierre declared her departure from party politics:
"I think we need to stop thinking in boxes and think outside of our boxes and not be so partisan," she said.
JESSE WATTERS UNPACKS KARINE JEAN-PIERRE’S ‘BACKSTABBING BOOK’
Heinrich, however, questioned the authenticity of that transformation, suggesting her actions in office don’t align with her new message.