White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke to reporters about the moment President Joe Biden discovered that former President Donald Trump was indicted.
When asked if Biden was briefed on Trump’s indictment, Jean-Pierre replied, “We found out, all of us including the president, found out about the news yesterday, just like every other American, through the news reports.”
She added, “His chief of staff, Jeff Zients, let him know what occurred through media reports… was not given a heads up.”
Listen to her comments below:
White House Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre says President Biden “was not given a heads up” about Donald Trump being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury:
— The Recount (@therecount) March 31, 2023
“The president found out about the news yesterday just like every other American: through the news reports.” pic.twitter.com/QscNMIZO5Z
Biden was directly asked about the indictment as he was leaving the White House on Friday, as IJR reported.
“Mr. President, do you think that the charges against Trump are politically motivated?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked.
Biden replied, “I have no comment on Trump.”
Trump was indicted by a New York City grand jury on Thursday.
The former president’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, shared how Trump would be moving forward following the indictment.
When asked if there was a chance Trump would accept a plea deal, Tacopina said during an interview with “Today”, “Zero.”
He added, “President Trump will not take a plea deal in this case. It’s not going to happen, there’s no crime.”
The attorney said he thinks the charges will be unsealed “likely Tuesday.”
Additionally, Tacopina explained how Trump reacted upon the news of the indictment.
“Despite all the scuttlebutt and rumors and whatnot, we believed and hoped that rule of law would prevail, so he initially was shocked,” Tacopina said.
He added, “After he got over that, he put a notch in his belt, and he decided, we have to fight now. And he got into a typical Donald Trump posture where he’s ready to be combative on something he believes is an injustice.”
Trump is currently the focus of at least four criminal investigations, as Axios noted.
