White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Thursday that her predecessor Jen Psaki’s attacks on prayer following a horrific shooting at a Catholic school are “incredibly insensitive and disrespectful.”
Psaki wrote on X that she has had “enough” with Christians offering their “thoughts and prayers” in response to transgender shooter Robin Westman fatally shooting two children and injuring 17 others at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Leavitt told Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese that Psaki’s remarks are insulting to the millions of Americans of faith and to the victims of the shooting.
“I saw the comments of my predecessor, Ms. Psaki, and frankly I think they’re incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the tens of millions of people with faith across this country who believe in the power of prayer, who believe that prayer works and that in a time of mourning like this, when beautiful young children were killed while praying in a church, it’s utterly disrespectful to deride the power of prayer in this country,” Leavitt said. “And it’s disrespectful to the millions of people of faith. And I would encourage Ms. Psaki to pray for these families themselves who need it right now more than ever.”
WATCH:
Along with Psaki, Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told Christians and people of faith during a Wednesday press conference to not offer their “thoughts and prayers” as the shooting happened while children were praying. Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and CNN’s Dana Bash praised the mayor over his statements during a Wednesday segment on “Inside Politics.”
Westman, a trans-identifying male, opened fire on the church through a stain-glass window and instantly killed an eight and ten-year-old. Fourteen children and three adults were injured during the attack and were sent to the hospital. The shooter then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the back of the church.
The now-deceased shooter confessed in his manifesto that he regretted being trans and wished he had “never brainwashed” himself. He also wrote that he understood he was not a woman, but “definitely [didn’t] feel like a man.”
Westman purchased all three of the guns he possessed during the shooting legally shortly before the tragic incident.
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