CNN White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny asked Jen Psaki if she has “reflected” on her “tone” in an answer she gave several weeks ago on Covid testing, but Psaki focused on a different aspect of that answer.
On Tuesday afternoon, Psaki held a briefing that was dominated by questions on President Joe Biden’s speech about Covid, and in particular on testing.
Zeleny asked about a well-publicized and contentious exchange between Psaki and NPR’s Mara Liasson from December 6th.
“As you know, a couple weeks ago, you stood here at the podium when there was a discussion about sending the tests to people’s homes and you said, ‘Should we just send them to every American?’ As you’ve reflected on the change in Omicron here, have you reflected on your tone in that answer?” Zeleny asked.
Psaki did not address her “tone,” but did allow that “there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t leave this podium and wish I would have said something with greater context or more precision or additional information.”
She went on to explain “To be clear so people have accurate information about how it works out there, which I know is your objective as well as mine: We’re making tests free and accessible without the risk of them going to waste in the home of people who do not
In this case, the additional context is that sending a test to every American could result in wasted unused tests, as Psaki clarified to Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich as well.
Heinrich followed up by saying “I know that you said you wish you’d rephrased your December 6th answer, but it seemed to discount at the time, which was only two weeks ago, the idea of sending tests to Americans at home,” and asking “So what made you guys shift gears? When did that happen? And is any sort of lack of urgency in doing that sooner costing us now?”
Psaki again referenced a wish to have added additional context, and after detailing the administration’s testing efforts, told Heinrich that “today, what the President is announcing — and this is, again, to Jeff’s question and to yours as well — to be clear: We’re not sending a test to every single home in the country. We are providing an opportunity — another opportunity or ability for people to — an important one — go on a website and request a test if their preference is to get that test to their home.”
Watch above via C-Span.