Stewards of the Visual Exposition
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany | 11/20/2020
Therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies - that is a recent one - that reduces hospitalization in high-risk seniors with moderate to mild COVID by 70 percent. That's American ingenuity rising to the occasion, and President Trump oversaw all of this.
But, of course, we are seeing cases rise. And it's very important: wash your hands, socially distance. We're taking this seriously.
Q Kayleigh, do you think that mixed messaging contributed to that? Because just this week, for example - yesterday, Vice President Pence wanted to make clear that they supported state and local decision making. Just two days ago, you called some of those state guidelines "Orwellian." So how do you expect people to know what to do with all this mixed messaging?
MS. MCENANY: Well, two things can happen at once, and it's this: taking COVID seriously, engaging in aggressive mitigation, but also recognizing that the American people have certain freedoms. And it is, by definition, Orwellian for a state like Oregon to say, "If you have more than six people in your family congregate in your home, we can jail you for 30 days." That's not the American way.
The American people know the CDC recommendations, know the guidelines. We've been talking about this for 10 months, but the American people still have certain freedoms, still have autonomy, and still can make important self-responsibility decisions themselves.
Yes, Deborah.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. Nice to see you.
MS. MCENANY: Good to see you.
Q Last night, Tucker Carlson said that campaign attorney Sidney Powell has failed to provide evidence for her assertion about communist money in the 2020 election. And Byron York, another journalist who's been very fair to this White House, said that it was a turning point - Rudy Giuliani and the conduct at that press conference. But Republicans were feeling that the legal maneuvers just aren't working.
So is there - did you all have a reaction to that when you saw that and wrote about it?
MS. MCENANY: Again, that would be a question for the campaign. We at the White House are aggressively working on COVID, winding down the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other issues. There will be a drug-pricing announcement later in the afternoon as well.
Q Well, Kayleigh -
MS. MCENANY: Yes.
Q - since I'm the pooler, can I ask a question for Jackson Richman of the Jewish News Syndicate, who couldn't be here -
MS. MCENANY: Yes.
Q - because of social distancing?
And his question is about Jonathan Pollard. His parole conditions are set to expire tomorrow. Is the President willing to commute his parole conditions or pardon him if the DOJ extends Pollard's parole? Have you been getting any calls from the Jewish and pro-Israel community to take action on his case?
MS. MCENANY: I haven't heard about that. I haven't looked into the particular case. But on if he shoots me an email, we'll take a look at his question.
Q Thank you.
MS. MCENANY: Yes.
Q So, back to the topic of concession. Like we said earlier, is there something that the President needs to see before making that call? Is it the end of these lawsuits, whenever they do wrap up, all of them? States certifying results for different counties? Or December 14th when the Electoral College casts its ballots?
MS. MCENANY: Look, the President, again, is pursuing ongoing litigation and taking it day by day, and we'll wait for that litigation to play out.
Q So just to clarify, it's the end of that litigation that we would need to see before getting a call -
MS. MCENANY: There's an entire constitutional process of electors casting their ballots, and I will leave that to the President.
Yes. Chanel.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. Contrary to the court of media opinion, there is real-time data showing vast irregularities in the voting system that we have watched over the last few weeks. I asked this question of the campaign and I ask this of it now, the White House: Where is our FBI in this entire scheme? Are they looking at any of the evidence that this White House or the campaign have presented in terms of real-time data evidence of voter irregularity? Where is the FBI?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, you know, I would refer you to the FBI on that - to the DOJ on that. There's -
Q Has the President spoken with the FBI in the last three weeks?
MS. MCENANY: Not that I'm aware of. But, look, I would say that there are real questions on mass mail-out voting. We have put those questions forward, and we've said this for the better part of a year. There was a bipartisan commission that talked about and identified the real potential for fraud with mass mail-in voting.
Also something that I would note is just we talked a lot about transfer of power in the election, and it's worth remembering that this President was never given an orderly transition of power. His presidency was never accepted. In fact, before the election - his election, we know Crossfire Hurricane was launched by Peter Strzok to pursue baseless allegations about the President's ties with Russia. That's before he was President, trying to subvert the will of the American people.
We know, in August, Peter Strzok wrote a text message about an insurance policy against a Trump presidency, once again trying to silence the voice of the American people.
In 2016 - we know in October that there was a FISA warrant - a FISA warrant taken out to spy on the Trump campaign. And then the American people spoke, and they spoke commandingly in electing President Trump despite all of the odds.
And what happened after he was elected? You had 70 lawmakers say "we're not coming" to his inauguration - Democratic lawmakers. You had Elizabeth Warren saying "we're going to attempt to obstruct" the Trump transition by urging the Government Accountability Office to investigate the incoming Trump transition.
In January of that year, you had President Obama have a by- the-book meeting where they talked about the Logan Act, using that act to go after Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.
Just before the inauguration, you had BuzzFeed promoting and publishing this bogus Steele dossier that's been widely debunked.
And then, for two years, you had the baseless Mueller investigation, which searched for collusion, found none, and exonerated President Trump.
While, in 2016, President Trump became the duly elected President, many sought to undermine him, discredit him, delegitimize him, and deny his victory. There were no calls for unity; there were no calls for healing.
So while every legal vote is counted, let us not forget the inexcusable transition, or lack thereof, that President Trump had to endure in 2016 and four years into his presidency.
Thank you, everyone, for the very good and substantive questions today.
Q Kayleigh, why can't you call on all of us? You haven't taken questions -
MS. MCENANY: I don't call on activists.
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But, of course, we are seeing cases rise. And it's very important: wash your hands, socially distance. We're taking this seriously.
Q Kayleigh, do you think that mixed messaging contributed to that? Because just this week, for example - yesterday, Vice President Pence wanted to make clear that they supported state and local decision making. Just two days ago, you called some of those state guidelines "Orwellian." So how do you expect people to know what to do with all this mixed messaging?
MS. MCENANY: Well, two things can happen at once, and it's this: taking COVID seriously, engaging in aggressive mitigation, but also recognizing that the American people have certain freedoms. And it is, by definition, Orwellian for a state like Oregon to say, "If you have more than six people in your family congregate in your home, we can jail you for 30 days." That's not the American way.
The American people know the CDC recommendations, know the guidelines. We've been talking about this for 10 months, but the American people still have certain freedoms, still have autonomy, and still can make important self-responsibility decisions themselves.
Yes, Deborah.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. Nice to see you.
MS. MCENANY: Good to see you.
Q Last night, Tucker Carlson said that campaign attorney Sidney Powell has failed to provide evidence for her assertion about communist money in the 2020 election. And Byron York, another journalist who's been very fair to this White House, said that it was a turning point - Rudy Giuliani and the conduct at that press conference. But Republicans were feeling that the legal maneuvers just aren't working.
So is there - did you all have a reaction to that when you saw that and wrote about it?
MS. MCENANY: Again, that would be a question for the campaign. We at the White House are aggressively working on COVID, winding down the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other issues. There will be a drug-pricing announcement later in the afternoon as well.
Q Well, Kayleigh -
MS. MCENANY: Yes.
Q - since I'm the pooler, can I ask a question for Jackson Richman of the Jewish News Syndicate, who couldn't be here -
MS. MCENANY: Yes.
Q - because of social distancing?
And his question is about Jonathan Pollard. His parole conditions are set to expire tomorrow. Is the President willing to commute his parole conditions or pardon him if the DOJ extends Pollard's parole? Have you been getting any calls from the Jewish and pro-Israel community to take action on his case?
MS. MCENANY: I haven't heard about that. I haven't looked into the particular case. But on if he shoots me an email, we'll take a look at his question.
Q Thank you.
MS. MCENANY: Yes.
Q So, back to the topic of concession. Like we said earlier, is there something that the President needs to see before making that call? Is it the end of these lawsuits, whenever they do wrap up, all of them? States certifying results for different counties? Or December 14th when the Electoral College casts its ballots?
MS. MCENANY: Look, the President, again, is pursuing ongoing litigation and taking it day by day, and we'll wait for that litigation to play out.
Q So just to clarify, it's the end of that litigation that we would need to see before getting a call -
MS. MCENANY: There's an entire constitutional process of electors casting their ballots, and I will leave that to the President.
Yes. Chanel.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. Contrary to the court of media opinion, there is real-time data showing vast irregularities in the voting system that we have watched over the last few weeks. I asked this question of the campaign and I ask this of it now, the White House: Where is our FBI in this entire scheme? Are they looking at any of the evidence that this White House or the campaign have presented in terms of real-time data evidence of voter irregularity? Where is the FBI?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, you know, I would refer you to the FBI on that - to the DOJ on that. There's -
Q Has the President spoken with the FBI in the last three weeks?
MS. MCENANY: Not that I'm aware of. But, look, I would say that there are real questions on mass mail-out voting. We have put those questions forward, and we've said this for the better part of a year. There was a bipartisan commission that talked about and identified the real potential for fraud with mass mail-in voting.
Also something that I would note is just we talked a lot about transfer of power in the election, and it's worth remembering that this President was never given an orderly transition of power. His presidency was never accepted. In fact, before the election - his election, we know Crossfire Hurricane was launched by Peter Strzok to pursue baseless allegations about the President's ties with Russia. That's before he was President, trying to subvert the will of the American people.
We know, in August, Peter Strzok wrote a text message about an insurance policy against a Trump presidency, once again trying to silence the voice of the American people.
In 2016 - we know in October that there was a FISA warrant - a FISA warrant taken out to spy on the Trump campaign. And then the American people spoke, and they spoke commandingly in electing President Trump despite all of the odds.
And what happened after he was elected? You had 70 lawmakers say "we're not coming" to his inauguration - Democratic lawmakers. You had Elizabeth Warren saying "we're going to attempt to obstruct" the Trump transition by urging the Government Accountability Office to investigate the incoming Trump transition.
In January of that year, you had President Obama have a by- the-book meeting where they talked about the Logan Act, using that act to go after Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.
Just before the inauguration, you had BuzzFeed promoting and publishing this bogus Steele dossier that's been widely debunked.
And then, for two years, you had the baseless Mueller investigation, which searched for collusion, found none, and exonerated President Trump.
While, in 2016, President Trump became the duly elected President, many sought to undermine him, discredit him, delegitimize him, and deny his victory. There were no calls for unity; there were no calls for healing.
So while every legal vote is counted, let us not forget the inexcusable transition, or lack thereof, that President Trump had to endure in 2016 and four years into his presidency.
Thank you, everyone, for the very good and substantive questions today.
Q Kayleigh, why can't you call on all of us? You haven't taken questions -
MS. MCENANY: I don't call on activists.
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- Press Office
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MS. MCENANY: I don't call on activists.
This exchange above between Kayleigh McEnany between herself and an unreserved Democratic Socialist propagandist, posing as a journalist, fully exemplifies why Kayleigh may be the best and brightest Press Secretary to have ever served any president.