White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended far-left anti-life activists who have protested outside the private homes of Supreme Court justices after a leaked draft of an opinion revealed Roe v. Wade’s days as legal precedent may be numbered.
Psaki was asked about the protests on Tuesday during the White House Press Briefing.
“Well, I think I said yesterday, but I’m happy to repeat because I think it’s important for everybody to hear, that the President’s longstanding view has been that violence, threats and intimidation of any kind have no place in political discourse,” Psaki said. “And we believe, of course, in peaceful protest.”
Psaki was asked if President Joe Biden believes the protests are attempts to interfere or intimidate. She instead talked about how it is “interesting” that people on the “right” remained silent “for years” on protests that happened outside homes of school board members, the Michigan Secretary of State, or threats made to women seeking abortions.
“I know that there’s an outrage right now,” Psaki said. “I guess, about protests that have been peaceful to date — and we certainly continue to encourage that — outside of judges’ homes. And that’s the President’s position. But the silence is pretty defeating about all of the other intimidation that we’ve seen to a number of people.”
Psaki was asked about federal law — 18 U.S.C 1507 — which states anyone who has the intent of “intefering with, obstructing or impeding the administration of justices, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness or court office” and pickets or parades in or near a court building or residence “occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness or court officer” will face a fine or imprisonment of one year.
Psaki simply said she believes intimidation outside of the homes of school board members, the Michigan Secretary of State, women seeking abortions and attacks against the Capitol “also warrant some outrage.”
“And we haven’t really seen that,” she said.
