White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is facing heavy criticism after sending mixed messages on whether the Biden-Harris administration has been using FEMA resources to support migrants last week.
Jean-Pierre flatly denied that FEMA resources were going to migrants in a press conference last week, but she stated the opposite when asked about the issue in the fall of 2022.
“Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants. How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter asked during a Friday press conference.
“I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded, going on to cite a Washington Post fact-check article on the subject.
She just straight up lied yesterday.
Could someone get Glenn Kessler on the phone? pic.twitter.com/Z17AF6COZG
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 5, 2024
Social media critics then compared her statement to comments made in 2022, where she appeared to explicitly state that FEMA resources were available to illegal immigrants.
She made the statement during a Sept. 16, 2022, press conference when Jean-Pierre was asked about assisting cities in handling the busloads of migrants being sent across the country from Texas.
Scrutiny on the Biden-Harris administration’s use of FEMA funds comes amid catastrophic flooding in North Carolina. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $100 million package to support the state.
Today, I announced that the Biden-Harris Administration will provide $100 million to repair I-40, a major artery for western North Carolina.
We will stand with North Carolina and every state affected by this storm for the long haul. pic.twitter.com/tk8qXoUI9S
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 6, 2024
Critics pointed out, however, that the package was much smaller than the $157 million in foreign humanitarian support Harris had announced for Lebanon the same day.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.