Karine Jean-Pierre says three soldiers died ‘fighting on behalf of the administration’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre triggered outrage Monday after saying three US troops killed by a weekend drone strike in Jordan had died “fighting on behalf of the administration” rather than America.
“Our deepest, obviously our deepest condolences go out, and our heartfelt condolences go out to the families who lost, uh, three, three brave, uh, three brave, uh, three brave, three folks who are military folks, who are brave, who are always fighting, who are fighting on behalf of, uh, this administration, of the American people, obviously more so, more importantly,” Jean-Pierre told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” struggling to form a coherent sentence.
Three Army soldiers were killed and more than 40 others wounded in the early Sunday drone attack targeting Tower 22, a US outpost along Jordan’s border with Syria.
President Biden vowed Sunday that America “shall respond” to the attack, but US officials have not elaborated on what that response might look like.
Jean-Pierre was pilloried for her remarks on social media.
“Say what you will about this word salad, but the idea that anyone in the military is fighting on behalf of any administration is precisely what is wrong with the DC ruling class,” tweeted Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who went on to call Jean-Pierre’s comment “disgusting.”
“The Biden Administration is amateurish, disorganized, disrespectful and an embarrassment to the United States,” spat foreign policy analyst Nile Gardiner.
“These are not ‘folks’,” added former GOP Congressman Doug Collins of Georgia. “They are service members who gave their lives NOT for this administration, but for the Country they serve!
“They are our best and deserve better than this.”
“Our service members swear an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. They are not fighting ‘on behalf of’ the Biden team,” agreed Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas). “This is incredibly disrespectful.”
“The soldiers were there for America – not your Administration,” added Abigail Jackson, communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
On Monday, the Pentagon identified the three soldiers killed in the attack as Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24 of Waycross, Ga.; Sgt. William Rivers, 46 of Carrollton, Ga.; and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga.
The Army’s enlistment oath, taken by every new soldier, promises to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“So help me God,” the oath concludes.
Before this weekend’s attack, there had been at least 158 attacks on US or allied personnel or hardware in the Middle East since Oct. 17, according to the Pentagon.
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