Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello?
Karine Jean-Pierre (00:03):
Hello. Hi everybody. Happy Thursday. Just be messing with this lectern. Okay. So today President Biden announced that he is granting clemency to approximately 1,500 Americans, the largest act in a single day, who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation as well as a strong commitment to making their communities safer. The president is commuting the sentences of 1,500 individuals who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities. He's also pardoning 39 individuals who were convicted of nine nonviolent crimes. The Americans receiving relief today include a decorated military veteran, a nurse who has led response for a number of natural disasters, and an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people. That's just to name a few. Today's actions build on the president's record of criminal justice reform to help reunite families, strengthen communities and reintegrate individuals back into society.
(01:28)
The president has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms. He's also the first president ever to issue categorical pardons to individuals convicted of simple use and possession of marijuana, and to former LGBTQI+ service members convicted because of their sexual orientation. As the president has said before, America was founded on the premise of second chances. For far too long, our criminal justice system has closed doors of opportunity for too many people who should have the chance to once again participate in daily life and contribute to their communities. And as the president said in his statement, he will take more steps in the weeks ahead. He and his team will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehab and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances. And with that, I have my colleague here from National Security Council, Admiral Kirby to talk about foreign policy news of the day.
Admiral Kirby (02:42):
Thank you so much. Good afternoon everybody.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Hello.
Admiral Kirby (02:51):
Sorry?
Speaker 1 (02:52):
We're just saying hi.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Hello, sir.
Admiral Kirby (02:56):
All right. Look, as y'all know, national Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan is in Israel today. He just wrapped up a full day of meetings, including one with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Jake's meeting with the Prime Minister focused on the progress we've made in the region. That means ensuring the Lebanon ceasefire continues to hold, that we continue to engage with all Syrian groups to establish a transition toward an independent and sovereign Syria, and most importantly, that we continue to make progress toward closing a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza so that the hostages, including Americans can be reunited with their families so that civilians in Gaza can receive humanitarian assistance that they desperately still need and so that this war can come to an end. Jake will now travel to Doha and to Cairo to continue these efforts. His travel, of course, coincides with that of Secretary Blinken who is traveling to Jordan and Turkey, making clear our commitment to a Syrian-led transition process so that the Syrian people and their aspirations can be realized.
(03:55)
The President is being regularly briefed on all these meetings and remains in close touch with his national security team as the situation in Syria continues to develop, and it does continue to develop. Tomorrow, he's going to speak virtually with his fellow G7 leaders. They will discuss a range of issues, our shared support to Ukraine, which comes of course after the United States dispersed $20 billion to a new World Bank fund that will provide economic support for Ukraine as part of the $50 billion G7 extraordinary revenue Acceleration loan effort. And that of course, I think, as you all know, leverages income earned from frozen Russian sovereign assets and increasingly puts the cost of war on Russia with no burden to the taxpayer here in the United States. We're going to continue to explore ways to make maximum use of those assets, by the way. And I'd note that also today the president approved a new security assistance package for Ukraine that will provide them with additional air defense, artillery, drones, and armored vehicles.
(04:52)
It's the 72nd such drawdown package announced by the United States, and as the president made clear, we're going to continue to provide additional packages right up to the end of this administration. I think G7 leaders can also be expected to discuss ongoing developments in the Middle East, of course, how we're helping Israel defend itself against active threats and how we're all working towards that Syrian-led process we talked about. Now, I'd also be remiss if I didn't just take a moment to highlight an important milestone in our efforts to keep faith with Afghan allies. As of today, the State Department has issued 76,000 special immigrant visas for Afghan partners and their families, surpassing the number of SIVs issued by all previous administrations combined since the program began back in 2009. They did this by surging staff, by leveraging new technology, by consolidating some cumbersome processing steps and working hard to verify in better ways applicants employment status.
(05:46)
And of course, we've requested from Congress more visa numbers so that we can continue to do that. Now finally, I just want to add a few comments on the reports of drone activity here on the East Coast, particularly in and around New Jersey. We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings and they're working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin. Using very sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities, corroborate any of the reported visual sightings. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.
(06:47)
The United States Coast Guard is providing support to the state of New Jersey and has confirmed that there is no evidence of any foreign-based involvement from coastal vessels. And importantly, there are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace. Now that said, we certainly take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports even though they have uncovered no malicious activity or intent at this particular stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authorities.
(07:27)
And so we urge Congress to pass important legislation that will extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities so that we are better prepared to identify and mitigate any potential threats to airports or other critical infrastructure and so that state and local authorities are provided all the tools that they need to respond to such threats as well. Now, tomorrow there's a little thing called the Army-Navy game. We wish both sides a good game. We thank them for their service now, of course at the service academies and for their service in the future. We don't officially take sides here at the National Security Council, but go Navy, beat Army.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Thank you, Admiral. Good luck. What is the White House reaction to President Xi being invited to President-elect Trump's inauguration next month?
Admiral Kirby (08:19):
Well, it's going to be up to President-elect Trump to decide who's going to sit with him there at the inauguration, who's going to be there. We've worked really hard on this most consequential of bilateral relationships. The president met with Xi Jinping a number of times, including recently, and as you know at APEC. And we believe that as we get ready to turn over things to the Trump team, that we're turning over a US-China relationship that is in better shape than the one we found it in. That doesn't mean that we don't have disagreements, we do, and we will, and I'm sure they will too, but we're working hard on this relationship and we'll do that right to the end.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Did President Biden invite any foreign leaders to his inauguration in 2021?
Admiral Kirby (09:02):
Oh, geez. I don't know. I'd have to take that question. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
One other question about Travis Timmerman. Was the US aware that he was missing and being detained in Syria before this week?
Admiral Kirby (09:16):
I am not aware of any indication that we had that this gentleman was in Syria. I want to remind that we are just getting word of this and we're trying to confirm his identity at this point. So the State Department is working hard on that right now. I am not aware that we had any prior indication that he was in Syria. It's also a good reminder for everybody if you're traveling overseas, to enroll in the state Department's SEP program so that they have an idea of who you are and where you are. It's voluntary of course, but we recommend that to everybody.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Thank you. And thank you. So regarding Travis Timmerman, have there been any other… I don't know, have there been any other Americans or people who have been saying that they're American uncovered in detention following the events in Syria? And then regarding Americans, do you have any updates on Austin Tice?
Admiral Kirby (10:16):
On your first question, not that I'm aware of. On your second question, we don't have any additional context or information about Austin since the events of the weekend in Syria, but we are working very, very hard. And as we've said in the past, we hope that developments in Syria could lead to some opportunities and some more information, but right now we don't have anything.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Are you concerned that there isn't more information around Tice, there isn't more of an update considering the fact that we're seeing these prisons, people released? Would you have expected to have more news about Austin Tice at this point?
Admiral Kirby (10:52):
We're concerned about Mr. Tice. We're concerned about finding out more about him, where he is, his condition. We certainly, as the president said on Sunday, want to do everything we can to get him back with his family where he belongs. Would we like to have had more information in the last 48 to 72 hours? You betcha. And we're working hard. And we're in touch with interlocutors and counterparts in and outside Syria to try to get as much information as we can, but I don't have anything additional to report to you today.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
And just following up on the news that President-elect Trump's secretary confirmed that Xi was invited. You yourself have talked about wanting a competitive relationship that doesn't have conflict, like you said, a better relationship now than four years ago in China. So what's your take? Was it a wise move?
Admiral Kirby (11:40):
It's not my place from the podium here to pass judgment on the invitations to the inauguration. That's really for the Trump transition team to speak to. Look, I would just again say this. It is without doubt the single most consequential bilateral relationship that the United States has in the world. And it is a relationship that is both fraught with peril and with opportunity. And when we get ready to turn over to the Trump team, we will make sure they are fully informed about everything President Biden has done, and he has done a lot to get this relationship on a more stable footing. And it'll be up to them to determine how and to what degree they want to carry that forward. And if that means having a conversation with President Xi around the inauguration that President Trump wants to do, well again, that's his prerogative.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
President-elect Trump… Oh, sorry.
Karine Jean-Pierre (12:35):
[inaudible 00:12:36].
Speaker 4 (12:35):
Thanks, sorry. President-elect Trump this morning also dismissed a question about protecting Taiwan. Could you talk at all about conversations that the current Biden administration might be having with Taiwan in this moment, if there's more a security concern with those friends and partners with an incoming Trump administration?
Admiral Kirby (12:52):
I think Taiwanese leaders know very well where President Biden stands on our continued support to Taiwan's self-defense. I think that they also clearly understand that we don't want to see any cross-strait tensions resolved through violence or force and that we're committed to our obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act. So I'm not aware of any additional specific conversations that have happened in recent days, but I think it's pretty apparent to everybody, including the PRC and President Xi, where we stand on the issue of Taiwan's self-defense.
Karine Jean-Pierre (13:28):
Gibeon?
Gibeon (13:28):
Thanks, Karine. Thanks, Admiral. What's your response to President-elect Trump saying in his Time Magazine interview that it was a foolish decision by the Biden administration to let Ukraine fire long-range missiles into Ukraine?
Admiral Kirby (13:41):
Yeah, look, I'm not going to get into back-and-forth with the president-elect and what he's saying in the media space. All I can do is reiterate what President Biden's policy and guidance has been, and that is to do everything we can, including today with this package that we're announcing, to make sure Ukraine can continue to defend itself. So that if and when this comes to some sort of negotiation, that President Zelensky is in the best possible position, that has the most leverage possible, that he has the most success on the battlefield that he can take into that negotiation. That has included additional policy guidance that President Biden issued not long ago to allow for some long-range missile systems to be used to help Ukraine defend itself across that border and that policy still stands.
Gibeon (14:29):
[inaudible 00:14:29] extending any congratulations to President-elect Trump on his second Time Person of the Year award?
Admiral Kirby (14:37):
I actually didn't know that that had happened. I don't have anything more to say on that.
Karine Jean-Pierre (14:43):
[inaudible 00:14:45].
Speaker 5 (14:44):
Thank you, Karine. I want to go back to Austin Tice. Can you give us some information about the US presence on the ground. Who's there to secure his release? Because it seems to me like it's a battle between journalists who are trying to reach to any American prisoners there, and this is what happened this morning.
Admiral Kirby (15:00):
Now, let's not get ahead of where we are right now. Two things: one, US military presence in Syria is predominantly in the East and it's designed solely to help us with the counter-ISIS missions, and we're working with the Syrian Democratic forces to that end. That's why they're there and that's the only reason that they're there. We don't have enough information right now about Mr. Tice and his whereabouts and his condition to develop any kind of policy options in terms of getting him home. So let's just not get ahead of where we are right now. Right now we're really trying and we hope that developments in Syria will give us the opportunity to glean more information.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
Sorry, I just want to follow on this. So you're saying that there's no FBI agent, there is nobody from the hostage departments at the US who's on the ground now in Syria? Because I'm aware of the Hostage Aid, it's an organization that are trying to find all hostages all over, American hostages. They are on the ground, and the journalists, including my station, who actually the first station to reach Mr. [inaudible 00:16:02] this morning.
Admiral Kirby (16:02):
The work that we're doing, the presence that we have in Syria is largely around counterterrorism missions. Again, I don't have policy options to speak to right now about finding and retrieving Mr. Tice. We just don't have enough information at this point.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
One more on Gaza, please. You have called on the Israelis many times from this podium to make sure they avoid civilian casualties and aid workers who have been working in Gaza. In the last week, every single day there's at least 50 civilians have been killed, including entire families, and 34 aid workers. So has your message gone on deaf ears or are you following up with what's happening there? How civilians are being killed every single day and we don't hear much about it?
Admiral Kirby (16:48):
We talk to the Israelis almost every day about their operations and about how we want to see them be more careful and minimize civilian casualties. And my goodness, Jake Sullivan, our National Security Advisor is in Israel today, and this very much was a part of the discussions he had with the Israeli National Security team as well as the Prime Minister. He brought it up today. Secretary Blinken is in the region. I have no doubt that he'll be bringing it up as well.
Karine Jean-Pierre (17:16):
Yeah, Patsy.
Patsy (17:17):
Thank you. John, two questions, one on Afghanistan. If you have any thoughts on the death of the Taliban minister Khalil Rahman Haqqani in a suicide bombing claimed by a regional Islamic State affiliates?
Admiral Kirby (17:30):
I think, look, we're just getting information about this. I think it's a little too soon for me to make a comment. The only thing I would say is that we recognize and we said so at the time, that there was still an ISIS threat inside Afghanistan, and clearly they have set their sights on the Taliban, but I don't really have anything more to say on that.
Patsy (17:54):
Is there anything in terms of us over horizon capability? Can you comment on that in terms of how
Speaker 7 (18:00):
… how this kind of suicide bombing-
Admiral Kirby (18:02):
We maintain and have improved, since our withdrawal from Afghanistan, the ability to conduct over-the-horizon counterterrorism operations anywhere in the world, anywhere in the world, and we've proven our ability to do that, including in places like Afghanistan since we left.
Speaker 7 (18:18):
… [inaudible 00:18:18] one on Venezuela, if you don't mind, John. So Argentina is accusing Venezuela of continually harassing members of the opposition that's sheltering in their diplomatic compound in Caracas. Do you have any comments on that?
Admiral Kirby (18:29):
Let me get back to you on that one.
Speaker 8 (18:32):
John, thanks so much. On Syria again, what is the United States doing to ensure that there are no clashes between the Turkey-backed SNA and the US-allied Kurdish militia there? [inaudible 00:18:44].
Admiral Kirby (18:44):
One of the things we want to make sure is that the Syrian Democratic Forces stay partnered with us on counter-ISIS missions. And we have seen in the past where certain parts of the SDF, if they perceived other threats and challenges in the past, they've kind of moved off that mission and we don't want to see that happen. So we're in very close touch with our SDF partners to try to maintain that focus on counter-ISIS missions and we are just as importantly in touch with our Turkish counterparts, including Secretary Blinken, to make sure that we understand what they're trying to do and that we both take steps that help preserve the effectiveness of the counter-ISIS mission and that it's not diminished in any way.
Speaker 8 (19:32):
I mean, the relationship with the Turks hasn't been the best. So how do you hope to ensure that this message gets through and is respected.
Admiral Kirby (19:43):
By being there and talking to them, which is what we're doing today.
Speaker 8 (19:46):
And then just one more on Syria or rather, on Austin Tice. There have been reports, scattered reports that could be in Iran. Can you say anything to that?
Admiral Kirby (19:56):
I can't. As I said, and it's an honest answer, we just don't have enough context right now to make a judgment about his whereabouts or his condition and that's why we're working so hard and we are, as we speak, you and me today, we are asking those questions and we hope that what happened in Syria over the weekend may give us an opportunity to learn more.
Speaker 8 (20:16):
Are you directly in touch with the Iranians about this at all?
Admiral Kirby (20:19):
We have been in touch. I'll just say this. As you would expect, or at least I hope you would expect us to be, we have been in touch with interlocutors and groups and leaders all over the region and we have various ways of being in touch. Some's indirect, some's indirect, but I think it's safe for you to assume that given the events over the weekend, it's a full-court press to see what we can do to find out more about Austin Tice and that includes having a whole heck of a lot of conversations with a lot of different folks.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
And then just one more quickly on Gaza. So Jake said he thinks ceasefire deal may be near. We've obviously heard that before.
Admiral Kirby (21:00):
And Jake said we've heard that before and we haven't always been able to get it across the finish line. We're being pragmatic about this.
Speaker 8 (21:06):
I know, but how are the circumstances different now? What dynamics could be different that would actually make a deal happen?
Admiral Kirby (21:15):
That's a great question. I think if you're Hamas right now, which is still fairly a rudderless organization and you look at the world today, the options aren't good. Your military capabilities have been all but decimated. Your main leader is gone. The leader of your buddy Hezbollah, he's gone. Nasrallah's gone. Hezbollah is now in a ceasefire arrangement which is still holding with Israel and Iran is not coming to the rescue. There is no cavalry for the Hamas right now, for Hamas right now. So this is the time and I think that's what Jake was alluding to. There has been an awful lot of pressure put on anybody who is supporting Hamas and now given where they are and how weakened they are, this is the moment to make this deal and that's why I think Jake believes that we're getting close. I mean, this is a great opportunity right now to do it.
Speaker 9 (22:13):
Thank you, [inaudible 00:22:14]. Just to follow on Gaza in those comments in Jerusalem earlier today, Jake Sullivan said that the posture of both Prime Minister Netanyahu to do a deal and the posture of Hamas at the negotiating table in the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon had changed favorably toward a deal. I'm just wondering if you could elaborate a little bit more on that dynamic and what he's referencing.
Admiral Kirby (22:33):
Well, it's kind of my answer to Andrea. I mean, the situation for Hamas has radically changed, particularly because of what's happened. And I would add, one thing I didn't add was events in Syria because now Assad's gone and who was Assad's main backer? Iran. Iran was not only unwilling but unable to come to Assad's rescue. It's just more proof or should be more proof to Hamas leaders that there is, as I said, no cavalry coming to the rescue. So they're at a moment of weakness and desperation. This is the time to make this deal and move forward on it. Now whether they'll do it or not, as Jake said, we can't be certain, but we believe there's an opportunity here a moment and that's why Jake's in the region.
Speaker 9 (23:17):
On Syria, the US has stated that one of its primary goals is to make sure that ISIS does not reconstitute there. In the days since the Assad regime has fallen, have you seen any information or any intelligence about cells or larger groups that are trying to exploit this opening?
Admiral Kirby (23:30):
I'm not going to get into too much on the intel side. I'll just tell you that we're watching this real closely and that is a risk, that is a worry that ISIS… I mean, this is a group that loves ungoverned space and you can expect, we have to expect that they're going to look at what's happening here with the fall of Assad and now Russia or Iran not coming to the rescue, Russia now also not coming to rescue and Russia's worried about their own presence in Syria and how that's going to look. You can expect, you would expect that a group like ISIS would try to exploit that. So we're watching it closely. I don't have any, again, additional intelligence indicators to speak to today, but it is something we're laser-focused on.
Speaker 9 (24:08):
And then just broadly on foreign policy, there is only one president at a time, but we've seen the President-elect wade into his preference for [inaudible 00:24:16] does or doesn't do in Syria, the US approach to Ukraine, to the Middle East, and now the transition is also, as you guys have said, working hand in glove as you push for a ceasefire in the region there. He's also inviting world leaders to inauguration. Is this having an impact on your foreign policy?
Admiral Kirby (24:32):
No, no. But I want to go back to your first question, though. The other thing I want to stress on this ISIS thing is that that is why, and the president said this Sunday, the concerns about ISIS is exactly why that mission in Syria, the US military mission and the partnership with the SCF is so important and why we want to see it continue.
Speaker 10 (24:53):
Two questions. One on Bangladesh, then in India. One, Bangladesh. Over the past few weeks, several Hindu-American groups across the country have been holding protest march one, outside the White House over the weekend. They're protesting against the continued killings of Hindus and the temples in Bangladesh after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government. Is the president aware about it? Did he raise this issue when he met his friend and interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the UN?
Admiral Kirby (25:22):
We're watching this very, very closely and the President's following events closely as well. The security situation in Bangladesh has been difficult, following the ouster of the former prime minister and we've been working closely with the interim government to enhance the capability of their law enforcement and security services to deal with the challenge. We've been very clear in our engagement with all Bangladeshi leaders that protection of religious and ethnic minorities is absolutely critical and the leaders of the interim government have repeatedly committed to providing security to all Bangladeshis regardless of religion or ethnicity. We want to hold them to that.
Speaker 10 (25:55):
And on India, as the President concludes his four-year term, what do you think are the key achievements of India-US relationship?
Admiral Kirby (26:03):
The President is very proud of the way in which our bilateral relationship with India has transformed during his administration. I mean, we've elevated the Quad now, the Indo-Pacific Quad. I don't know how many meetings he's had now inside the Quad and bilaterally with the Prime Minister. There's an awful lot in our relationship that has improved, military-to-military communication and defense-security partnerships in India and in the Indo-Pacific writ large, people-to-people ties, economic ties. I mean, there's been an awful lot.
Speaker 10 (26:39):
[inaudible 00:26:40] follow up on India. You've mentioned about Quad. What are the President's expectations from the coming administration on Quad and other IMA [inaudible 00:26:48]?
Admiral Kirby (26:48):
It's going to be up to the incoming administration. It's going to be up to them to determine how they leverage the Indo-Pacific Quad. We can only speak to the ways President Biden has-
Speaker 10 (26:56):
[inaudible 00:26:57] be the bilateral… sorry, bipartisan support to the India [inaudible 00:27:01]?
Admiral Kirby (27:01):
Do I expect…
Speaker 10 (27:02):
India [inaudible 00:27:03] has been a bipartisan support, right, for both the sites have supported [inaudible 00:27:07].
Admiral Kirby (27:07):
I don't see anything in the future which would indicate a change in that. There has been strong bipartisan support for growing this bilateral relationship and I would expect that that'll continue.
Speaker 11 (27:18):
Hey, John.
Admiral Kirby (27:18):
Oh, sorry.
Speaker 11 (27:19):
President-elect Trump last night named a new director for the Voice of America, Kari Lake. Do you think that the President has the authority to name a new director of that newsroom?
Admiral Kirby (27:29):
I understand that there's… I actually don't… you know what? I think I should take the question because I don't understand enough about the process there to really weigh on that. So why don't we take that question.
Speaker 11 (27:42):
Can you just react generally to the fact that this is a non-partisan agency and Kari Lake is someone who just ran a Senate campaign? Just any reaction to the fact that she's-
Admiral Kirby (27:50):
No, I'm just not going to get into casting judgments on names that the President-elect is putting forward for various jobs. That is for him and his team to speak to. What I can tell you, President Biden and this entire administration, and that includes me personally, great respect for Voice of America and the work that they do here and around the world. We value, we respect that. They have an editorial independence, which I think is absolutely vital for them to be able to do their job credibly. If you're going to have a name Voice of America on your bumper sticker, then you can expect that certain people around the world may look askance at that. But the fact that they are editorially independent and do good solid reporting on their own, I think speaks volumes about how valuable they are to making sure that the proper news and context and information gets to audiences around the world. I'm very proud of them.
Speaker 12 (28:47):
All right. Thanks, Brin. Thanks John. At the top of your remarks, you talked about the administration's commitment to an independent and sovereign Syria and of course, Israel has sent its forces into the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights and apparently beyond it. The presence of foreign troops would seem inconsistent with an independent and sovereign Syria, so will the administration pressure its ally to withdraw the troops?
Admiral Kirby (29:11):
We are in discussions with the Israelis as you might expect us to be about their operations there inside that buffer zone and staying in close touch, as Jake did today, with better understanding what their goals and objectives are. I would tell you or would point you to what they have said, which is this is a temporary measure to deal with exigent circumstances and we recognize what they recognize that there are some legitimate threats that they're trying to-
Speaker 12 (29:42):
Have they given any indication what they mean by temporary, given that they've been in occupation of the Golan Heights [inaudible 00:29:47].
Admiral Kirby (29:47):
I think I'd point to the Israelis to speak to their military operations.
Jackie (29:51):
Thanks, [inaudible 00:29:52]. John, on the drones, does the US government have any of its own imagery or video of these systems?
Admiral Kirby (30:01):
I'm not aware that we have US government-produced imagery ourselves, but as I said in my opening statement, we have certainly done thorough analysis of the existing imagery.
Jackie (30:16):
Like from people's cell phones that we're seeing. Basically, with what you're looking at, how can you credibly tell people that there is no public safety threat, there's no national security threat, that there's no reason to believe that a foreign government is involved?
Admiral Kirby (30:31):
Because the analysis thus far in an investigation that is ongoing has not revealed any national security or malicious intent or criminal activity. But Jackie, I would remind you we're at the beginning here, not the end. There's a lot more work to be done and we're working closely with state and local authorities to gain more information. I would argue that we're moving pretty well here with a sense of energy to try to figure out what we can do to learn more about this. We're still in the middle of an ongoing investigation and I'm up here explaining to you and letting you know what we know so far, what we believe so far. If information comes to light that changes that characterization, then my goodness, we will be the first ones to let you know. But right now, there's just no indication that this is some sort of foreign, malign activity or in fact, even criminal.
Jackie (31:25):
Well, what I don't understand is this has been happening since late November. I don't know that the law enforcement officials or residents in New York and New Jersey or even the Democratic senators who wrote to Director Wray, Mayorkas, and the FAA administrator today would think that this has been handled with a sense of urgency. But that being said, has the President or the Secretary of Defense issued any guidance to NORTHCOM or military installations to act on these systems if they're deemed to be a threat in any way and what's the benchmark for that determination?
Admiral Kirby (32:03):
So two thoughts. First of all, you're right, late November. It is now what? The 12th of December. I think it shows that we're moving on with this and we're going to stay on it. So I want to disabuse you of any notion that we're not taking this seriously because we are. I can also tell you that if the President as Commander-in-Chief believed, based on the information that he'd been given, that there was a national security threat at play here or even a public safety threat at play here, he would issue the appropriate directives to not only law enforcement, but perhaps even the military if that was needed. I want to go back to something I said at the top. There has been no evidence of any of this activity in or near restricted spaces.
Jackie (32:48):
That's not what the senator said in the letter. They said, in fact, that they've been observed maneuvering their critical infrastructure, sensitive locations, including reservoirs and military installations, and cited a concern from law enforcement about public safety threats because a medevac helicopter was prevented from transporting a seriously injured patient for care because of the presence of these drones.
Admiral Kirby (33:09):
I stand by my opening statement.
Jackie (33:12):
Can you make that make more sense? Because I think people in New York and New Jersey see drones the size of an SUV over their house every night and think that that doesn't make any sense.
Admiral Kirby (33:21):
Certainly, I understand why people would be looking at this and being concerned about it. We're concerned about it too, which is why we have the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, my goodness, looking at this and we're taking it seriously. We understand that people are concerned. We understand that they got questions. We got questions too, and we're working hard to get the answers to that.
(33:40)
What I can tell you as we sit here today at 2:16 in the afternoon on the 12th is we haven't seen any indication thus far that there's a public safety risk and we haven't seen-
Jackie (33:53):
Does the government know what they are?
Admiral Kirby (33:54):
… we are still investigating this. I can't tell you definitively. I cannot characterize for you definitively what these sightings are. I can just go back to what I said at the opening. We've looked at the imagery. We can't corroborate some of the reported sightings through our own expert analysis using sophisticated detection techniques, but that doesn't mean that we're putting our pen down here this afternoon and calling it a day. We're going to keep at this.
Jackie (34:21):
What are you doing, though?
Admiral Kirby (34:21):
We are continuing to investigate it, as I said in my opening statement. Two federal agencies as well as United States Coast Guard and state and local law enforcement officials, which we are staying in close touch with.
Speaker 13 (34:35):
Picking up on drones, has it reached a level or is there a level determined by which the President or the administration, more directly, would prohibit any use of the airspace since it is regulated for drones for a period of time to try to figure out who they are and to remove this anxiety that people in the northeastern feel?
Admiral Kirby (34:57):
I don't know that we're at stage right now where we're considering that sort of a policy option, but I can tell you that we're going to keep an open mind here and I think whatever policy options we determine are appropriate will be informed by the investigation. And thus far in this early stage of the investigation, there's just no national security threat that we see and no public safety risks. So again, you want to be careful that you don't jump to conclusions and you don't jump to policy options that may not be appropriate at this particular stage, but we'll obviously see where it goes and we'll be informed by investigators.
Speaker 13 (35:36):
One other topic. With Jake in Israel and issues related to Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, and so forth, with 40 days to go, do you feel that the Biden foreign policy team is in a cooperate with a very vocal President-elect who is talking about these issues to achieve the aims that you have
Speaker 14 (36:00):
… or do you view it as this is really your negotiation to have, whether it's in Israel, whether it's with Ukraine? Is it coordination, competition? How would you describe … ?
Admiral Kirby (36:10):
I would say consultation. We are keeping the incoming Trump team fully aware and read in of not only what we're doing but what we're thinking about doing so that there's nothing they should see in the public domain, nothing I'm saying here, nothing Jake said in Israel, that would surprise them, that we're keeping them fully informed.
Speaker 14 (36:34):
And has the president or members of this administration asked the president-elect to pull back from public statements or phone calls or anything that might impinge on what you're trying to do?
Admiral Kirby (36:43):
Not that I'm aware of.
Karine Jean-Pierre (36:43):
Go ahead. Final question. Go ahead.
Speaker 15 (36:45):
What do you make of reports that were out today that Austin Tice was seen alive at a prison in Damascus in 2022?
Admiral Kirby (36:52):
I think I've answered this before. I just don't have … I've seen that press reporting. I don't have any information to verify that reporting, and I certainly don't have anything today that gives us a sense of his whereabouts right now.
Speaker 15 (37:06):
I'm asking, though, because the Israelis bombed that facility over the weekend. And so, I'm wondering if there are any conversations with the Israelis about maybe avoiding targets where Austin Tice or other prisoners might be held?
Admiral Kirby (37:18):
As I said earlier, it's a full-court press to get more information about Austin, and we are actively in touch with interlocutors and counterparts throughout the region, and that includes Israel.
Karine Jean-Pierre (37:30):
All right. Thank you so much.
Admiral Kirby (37:31):
Thank you, Karine.
Speaker 16 (37:31):
Thank you, John.
Speaker 17 (37:33):
Thanks, John.
Karine Jean-Pierre (37:38):
Before we continue, I was asked by one of my colleagues to flag Rodney's sweater. The amazing Christmas gear you got going on, sir, and the tie and all of it. It looks good.
Rodney (37:55):
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Karine Jean-Pierre (37:56):
And I hear that this is a normal thing during the season.
Rodney (38:00):
Yeah.
Karine Jean-Pierre (38:00):
Okay. All right. That's why he's behind the camera. He's like …
Speaker 18 (38:09):
Aw.
Karine Jean-Pierre (38:09):
No, I meant that nicely!
Rodney (38:09):
No, no. She's right.
Karine Jean-Pierre (38:11):
I meant that really nicely. He's like, "Please don't talk to me." That's what I meant. I meant "Don't talk to me."
Rodney (38:16):
[inaudible 00:38:17] for me to go.
Karine Jean-Pierre (38:20):
I appreciate you, Rodney. Thank you for what you do.
Rodney (38:22):
Thank you.
Karine Jean-Pierre (38:24):
Okay. With that … Jeez. Tough crowd.
(38:28)
Colleen.
Colleen (38:29):
Thank you. So, let's see. On the pardons.
Karine Jean-Pierre (38:32):
Yes.
Colleen (38:34):
I wondered if there's been a couple categorical pardons, or categorical, I guess, grants of clemency by the president. So, I wondered if we could expect more of those sort of categorical pardons, in particular related to the death penalty, which the president had said during the campaign trail in 2020 he wanted to get rid of. And I know it's paused, but it isn't gone. And there's, I think, 40 people on federal death row. The president-elect has made no secret of his desire to continue the death penalty.
(39:13)
So wondering about that and any other possible categorical ones.
(39:17)
Sorry to interrupt you.
Karine Jean-Pierre (39:19):
Yeah. I will say that during the president's remaining weeks, and he said this in his statement overnight, and I said it at the top as well, that we're going to continue to, he's going to continue to talk to his team to review any steps that he's going to be taking.
(39:35)
He wants to take additional steps, obviously, to provide meaningful second chances. This is what this is all about when you look at what the actions that the president not just took today but over, certainly, the last four years.
(39:50)
And so, they're going to continue to review clemency petitions, he and his team, in normal course. And certainly, further, they want to further the criminal justice reforms in a manner that advances equity and justice; promotes public safety; supports rehab and re-entry, which is all the things that I said at the top; and provides, again, meaningful second chances.
(40:12)
So, when we have more to share, we certainly will update all of you. But I think if you look at what the president has done over the past four years, as I just laid out, in addition to what he talked, what we announced today, granting 21 pardons, 122 commutations, he has certainly done more than his last four predecessors at this point in their first term.
(40:38)
And so, the president takes this very, very seriously and is going to review all options and, especially, as you stated, clemency petitions as we close out these final few weeks.
Colleen (40:53):
On pardons still.
Karine Jean-Pierre (40:55):
Sure.
Colleen (40:56):
We had a poll yesterday that just about 2 in 10 Americans approved of President Biden's decision to pardon his son. In particular, they were troubled by the fact that he'd gone back on his word. So, I wondered what the president's message is to those Americans.
Karine Jean-Pierre (41:14):
I mean, I'd just go back to his statement that he put out 12 days ago, I think now, that Sunday. And I think that last paragraph where he talks really, truly directly to the American people about this decision that he's made, obviously, as president and as a father.
(41:28)
But I would say more broadly, legal experts, you've heard me say this, you've heard from legal experts, specifically an analyst, former U.S. attorneys from across the country, who have said and they have all agreed no one would be criminally prosecuted with felony offenses with these facts, the underlying facts that we have, certainly, have gone back and forth on.
(41:50)
And I have quoted many times, and I'll do this again, the former attorney general, Eric Holder, who said, "No U.S. attorney would have charged this case given the underlying facts. Had his name been Joe Smith, the resolution would have been fundamentally and, more fairly, a declination. Pardon warranted."
(42:08)
And so, I think the actions that the president took today, the actions that he's taken over the last four years when it comes to clemency, I think, shows the president's commitment when it comes to reforming, trying to reform the criminal justice system and obviously, his commitment to that but, also, giving people a second chance.
(42:28)
And so, I think that, as it relates to the American people, I think that I understand that you had this poll, and I get that, but I hope that they will understand the decision that he made and what he's going to continue to do in these closing weeks as president.
Colleen (42:46):
Do you think he should apologize based on what the polling found?
Karine Jean-Pierre (42:52):
What I think is, I think the president hopes that the American people hear him out. Again, going to that last part of his statement, and I feel that I should continue to reiterate that the American people out there should take a look at the president's own words, his statement, how much he wrestled with that decision, and how circumstances did indeed change for him and his view.
(43:18)
And I quoted many times what Congressman Clyburn said when he spoke to the president two weeks prior, how the president was indeed reticent in making this decision. And when he saw that Republicans weren't going to let up, when we talked about the recently announced Trump appointees for law enforcement who have said themselves that they were going to seek retribution, and there was no reason to not take them by their word. The sentencing was coming up.
(43:45)
All of these pieces certainly led to circumstances changing, and so he made a very difficult decision. And I just hope that in time, in due time, the American people will see why he made this decision to move forward.
(44:02)
In the meantime, I think this announcement, the statement from the president, this announcement today that we're making: nearly 1,500 people getting their commutation, I think it's important. I think it's important about second chances, giving people second chances. And so, that's what the president certainly is going to continue to focus on.
(44:24)
Go ahead.
Speaker 19 (44:25):
Thanks. Different than commuting a sentence, though, or pardoning someone who has been convicted of a crime, there was conversation at one point about the idea of preemptive pardons for somebody who hasn't been convicted yet but who might be a target of the incoming Trump administration. Is that still on the table?
Karine Jean-Pierre (44:38):
I'm not going to get ahead of the president. As I said, we'll have more, the president will have more to announce over the upcoming weeks as we close out our time here.
(44:48)
I'm not going to get into the president's thinking. He's going to have conversations with his team. He's going to review clemency petitions. He's going to review options on the table. And so, that's where I'm going to leave it. And I think, 1,500 individuals, as you all know, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and also pardoning 39 individuals is a big deal.
(45:18)
I think it's important to those individuals and their families and their communities. As I've said, they've integrated into those really important pieces of their lives, and I think that's really important, and just building on what the president has done over the past four years.
(45:35)
And I think those, today, I think it's a good day for many of those folks who deserve that second chance and who have proven, proven to be able to take that on.
Speaker 19 (45:48):
Absolutely.
Karine Jean-Pierre (45:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 19 (45:49):
Some of the names that have been floated around preemptive pardons, though, since it would just be such an unusual, extraordinary step, we've talked about in the news, we've seen Liz Cheney, Dr. Fauci, Mark Milley-
Karine Jean-Pierre (45:58):
You're talking about the preemptive pardoning?
Speaker 19 (46:01):
Right. I understand you don't want to get ahead of the president's thinking, but are any of those names wrong? Still, can you tell … I mean, do you want to tell us anything about-
Karine Jean-Pierre (46:08):
It would be a bad move on my behalf if I preempted the president or previewed anything that the president was thinking about, considering. And so, this is something that he's going to talk with his team about. And I just don't have anything beyond that for you.
(46:27)
Again, I think today is a very important day, as we talk about the criminal justice system, as we talk about giving people who have shown that they can reintegrate into their community, back into their families, a second chance. I think that's a big deal, and I think that shows the president's commitment to this.
(46:46)
And the president talks a lot about what this country has to offer and possibilities, and you see that in every action that the president certainly has taken when it comes to this issue and so many other policies that he's put forward.
(46:59)
Go ahead.
Speaker 8 (47:02):
So, Karine.
Karine Jean-Pierre (47:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (47:04):
I keep asking you this question. I'm going to ask it one more time.
Karine Jean-Pierre (47:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (47:07):
You have been working on an Islamophobia or a strategy to counter Islamophobia that would partner with the strategy that you've already released to countering antisemitism. We've been waiting for it for a long time. Do you have any further updates on when that could be released? Do you anticipate it coming before the end of the year?
Karine Jean-Pierre (47:27):
I would say stay tuned. This is obviously something that we're very committed to when it comes to protecting communities across this country.
(47:36)
You saw that in our antisemitism strategy, and obviously we've been talking about this Islamophobia strategy as well, or talking about coming up with a way forward in protecting communities. Certainly, that's the President's commitment.
(47:52)
I don't have anything to share right now at this moment, at this podium, behind this lectern. But I would say stay tuned.
Speaker 8 (48:00):
Given the former president's ban on entry for people from Muslim-majority countries, also known as the Muslim ban, at the beginning of his term-
Karine Jean-Pierre (48:14):
Which we repealed and dealt with that very early on.
Speaker 8 (48:16):
No, I understand. But there were many, many people on no-fly lists. And there still are some people on no-fly lists.
(48:24)
Is there any preemptive action that the administration can take to guard against that kind of mass move again this time?
Karine Jean-Pierre (48:35):
Well, you know where the president stands on this in this administration. I don't have any policy announcement to share with you at this time. And so, I'll just leave it there.
Speaker 8 (48:44):
All right. And then, just on the pardons and clemency acts. Numerous groups have sort of asked the administration to go even further, to be even more bold in terms of saying that there's something like 9,000 additional petitioners, some of whom are chronically ill, some who are aging, some have very young children.
(49:07)
I know that you are still reviewing these things, but can you say something about the scale? I mean, is this the sort of the … is this the big move that we're going to see and then we'll see sort of individual pardons coming forward? Or will there, do you anticipate that there could be another larger-scale move?
Karine Jean-Pierre (49:23):
I'm not going to get into the strategy. I'm not going to get into numbers. I'm not going to get into what the president is currently thinking through. Not something that I'm going to do from here.
(49:32)
But I don't want people to forget, and I said this at the top, and I just want to reiterate, we're talking about Americans who receiving relief who are decorated military veterans, a nurse who has led response for a number of natural disasters, and an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people. And that's just naming a few.
(49:51)
And so, that is important to note, because these are the folks that we're talking about, who are, again, reintegrating back into their communities in a way that's effective, in a way that's incredibly important, giving them second chances.
(50:08)
And let's not forget all of the other ways that the president has been able to give second chances to Americans over the past almost four years when he has made these types of important decisions. So, I'm not going to preview. I'm not going to get ahead of this president. It would not be wise for me to do so 'cause he has to make that final decision, and he has to review what's in front of him with his team.
Speaker 8 (50:34):
And I just want one more real quick.
Karine Jean-Pierre (50:34):
Sure. Sure.
Speaker 8 (50:34):
There's anniversary coming up on Saturday for the Sandy Hook shooting, and I know that this is something that's very near and dear to the president.
Karine Jean-Pierre (50:40):
Yeah, obviously. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (50:41):
Is he planning any kind of action or statement?
Karine Jean-Pierre (50:46):
So, don't have anything for you. As you know, we think during his presidency and, I think, over the past couple of years, even before his presidency, he's spoken to this day, this tragic, tragic day.
(50:55)
And you're right, this is, when it comes to Sandy Hook and any devastating, horrific events like we saw on that day and the president has always spoken out to it. This is a president that understands loss, understands what that means to a family, understands what that means to a community. And Sandy Hook was one of those moments that tore us apart.
(51:23)
I think if you think about that moment and, I think, if you are just a human and you remember that day, it is a heartbreaking, heartbreaking moment. And obviously our hearts go out to the families and certainly their loved ones who are still dealing with every year, dealing with a difficult moment, a difficult anniversary. And so, I know the president thinks about them almost every day.
(51:52)
And I don't have anything to read out to you on how we're going to be acknowledging that day, but I'm sure you'll be continuing to hear from this president.
(52:00)
Go ahead.
Speaker 9 (52:02):
Thank you. You talk about the clemency actions as historic, the big deal, as you called them earlier and a real relief that is being brought to human individuals by the actions the president has taken. So, in terms of sequencing, how did he come to the decision to pardon his son before these individuals?
Karine Jean-Pierre (52:21):
So, I think we've gone back and forth on how he made that decision. The president obviously as I said, the president put a statement out 12 days ago, made that decision over that weekend.
(52:33)
It was a decision that he wrestled with. I think we've talked about the politics around this, the decision that he made. He put out a pretty comprehensive statement. I've mentioned Congressman Clyburn's, his own words, saying that the president, even two weeks before he had made that decision, was reticent in doing so. And he wrestled this, and as I have said many times: For him, there were consequences that changed his decision. I just laid that out moments ago.
Speaker 9 (52:59):
But this action pending for thousands of individuals why not bring the relief to them before-
Karine Jean-Pierre (53:04):
Well, I mean-
Speaker 9 (53:04):
… announcing the pardon on his son?
Karine Jean-Pierre (53:06):
And I was about to get to your question. What you see today, that was far from this being his first, right? I think we can't forget that, his first pardon or act of clemency.
(53:17)
He has issued more, more, we cannot forget this, more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any other recent predecessors at the same point of their first term. And I talked about what he was able to do in April when he issued historic categorical pardons as well to address marijuana possession convictions and military convictions in the LGBTQ+ community. These are actions that this president has taken.
(53:46)
And, again, today is historic, but he has been taking these types of actions for some time now. This is far from the first pardon that the president has taken.
(53:57)
We've gone back and forth. I've laid out what the president is
Karine Jean-Pierre (54:00):
… President's thinking. He has talked about it directly in a statement in his own voice to all of you about 12 days ago. And so I don't have anything beyond that, but we can't look at today as being only the first action that he's taken. He's taken many actions to try and deal with, giving an opportunity to people who have shown that they deserve a second chance, giving them opportunity to have that second chance.
Speaker 20 (54:26):
Anita Dunn, who was for a very long time, the senior most communications aide here at the White House, has been very critical of the President's decision to pardon his son. She called it extraordinarily bad timing. She said it was clear that the White House was not part of this process and she called the President's rationale and attack on the judicial system. She goes, "The argument is one that I think many observers are concerned about. A President who ran to restore the rule of law, who has upheld the rule of law, who has really defended the rule of law, kind of saying, well, maybe not right now." How would you respond to that?
Karine Jean-Pierre (54:56):
I will respond in this way. She also agreed that Hunter Biden and I quote, "Absolutely deserved a pardon." The deserved a pardon is her own words. So she supported that action. And I don't want to take away the record that the President has made on providing the most individual commutations in a single day, and I think that matters and he'll certainly have more news to share in this area, in the clemency space, obviously in the near future, and will have more to share and certainly more to speak to.
Speaker 20 (55:37):
Was she right that the White House was boxed out of the process of [inaudible 00:55:40]-
Karine Jean-Pierre (55:39):
What I can say is that I would obviously continue to refer you to the President's statement 12 days ago. He laid out his thought process, I think in a very comprehensive way. We've gone back and forth here about how the circumstances had changed. But let's not forget that she also said that Hunter Biden absolutely deserved a pardon and I think that matters as well. Okay, go ahead.
Speaker 21 (56:06):
Thanks, Karine. What was President Biden's reaction to FBI director Christopher Wray's decision to step down?
Karine Jean-Pierre (56:15):
What I will say is that the President certainly appreciates the service of Christopher Wray, the FBI director and all that he has done in his role. I don't have anything more to say beyond that. Certainly, he wishes the FBI director well.
Speaker 21 (56:38):
Was the President disappointed that Wray is not going to be serving his full tenure term?
Karine Jean-Pierre (56:42):
I don't have anything else to share besides the service that the FBI director has been able to provide and he respects his service and I don't have anything beyond that.
Speaker 21 (56:52):
Has President Biden spoken to FBI director Wray since the director made that announcement or was the White House given a heads-up about the decision?
Karine Jean-Pierre (57:03):
I would say that I don't have anything to share of a conversation between the FBI Director and the President since this decision was made. But the President is grateful for the director's service to our country and I just don't have anything else beyond that to share.
(57:23)
Go ahead.
Speaker 22 (57:24):
Given the breadth of the pardons, can you describe a little bit about the President's process? Did he read into the individual cases? Did he accept a list from those who were working on this on his behalf? How much did he personally dive into particular stories and did he decline on any of the ones brought to him for this time or was it sort of a big package presented to the President?
Karine Jean-Pierre (57:50):
So I'm not going to go into step-by-step of this process. What I can say is this is a President who certainly takes this very seriously, understands the importance of when an individual is able to show that they can reconnect with their community, reconnect with their family, be part of a community in a way that I just laid out. When you think about military veteran, we you think about a nurse that's been very helpful in disaster response, he takes that all into account. He wants to make sure that there are specific criteria that are made, if you will.
(58:28)
In this case, the Bureau of Prisons obviously was very involved in looking at… When I say very involved, when they made the decision on the home confinement of these folks. And so obviously that is a big part of it too. And look, they've all just demonstrated good behavior, have shown that incarceration and at-home confinement has been successful in their rehabilitation. And those are all important criteria to look at. But this is something obviously his team reviews, it's presented to the President, he makes his decision on how to move forward. I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty, but these are important facts that I just laid out to certainly look at when you think about, again, getting back into the community and showing that it is meaningful to get that second chance because what these individuals have been able to do.
(59:32)
Go ahead.
Speaker 23 (59:33):
Thanks, Karine. On the pardons today, can you say whether the President has signed all the paperwork and it's completely finalized, the signature on it?
Karine Jean-Pierre (59:44):
Well, my assumption is that this is ready to go since we've made the announcement and that we've announced it obviously overnight. And so this is ready to go and we're moving forward. We wouldn't have made this announcement if we weren't. And so that's what I could speak to. This is something that the President has decided on and we're taking certainly the steps to make this happen.
Speaker 23 (01:00:07):
And would you be able to say sort of precisely when he signed it or maybe [inaudible 01:00:10]-
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:00:10):
I don't have specifics on signature when it was signed, how the process even works. I know that we made an announcement obviously overnight on this really this grantee clemency of nearly 1,500 people. I think that's a big deal. 39 individuals were certainly pardoned who were convicted of nonviolent crimes. And I think this is important to just not forget, but I don't have the specifics of the process or how it works, but obviously it's out there and we're moving forward with it.
Speaker 23 (01:00:44):
And then one other thing. You had been asked several times about whether Hunter Biden would receive a pardon and responded to that question. In that vein, can you tell me whether the President is considering a pardon for his son, James Biden?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:00:56):
Look, what I can speak to is the President made that decision about Hunter Biden. He put it in his own words. I don't have anything to share beyond that. What I can say is not that I'm aware of, but I just don't have anything else beyond that. And the President certainly is going to, as more broadly speaking, as we move forward to the next couple of weeks, he obviously is going to review with his team about other clemency decisions and they're taking additional steps. And so that's what I can speak to at this time. Go ahead.
Speaker 24 (01:01:31):
Thank you. During the past clemency actions you were talking about, it seemed like most of the time the recipients were nonviolent drug offenders, low-level drug crimes. There were a couple recipients here though. I mean, a judge who participated in a scheme that sent juveniles to for-profit jails, Medicare fraud, real estate fraud.
(01:01:53)
I guess what I'm wondering is was the crime that was committed also part of the criteria here, or was it the mere fact where if you were somebody on home confinement despite the crime you committed, but just the fact that you were on home confinement, you received a [inaudible 01:02:08]?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:02:08):
So there're two different things, right? There is the 1,500 folks who were placed on home confinement during COVID.
Speaker 24 (01:02:15):
The examples I listed are over 1,500.
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:02:15):
Okay, I didn't know because those are commutation, right? So I didn't know-
Speaker 24 (01:02:18):
Those are commutations, correct.
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:02:19):
Okay, so you were saying pardon, so I just wanted to make sure that…
Speaker 24 (01:02:22):
To clarify, those examples I listed are part of the 1,500 that received commutation.
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:02:25):
Okay. Because as you know, there were 39 people who were pardoned. So two different things. I just want to make sure we were on the same page. So this is definitely related to the home confinement for COVID. Let's not forget there was the Care Act of 2020, right? This is all connected certainly to that. And those are the individuals who were, again, who had home confinement and they successfully reintegrated into their families, into their communities. And that's the group of people, that category if you will, that we were looking at.
Speaker 24 (01:02:56):
But just the fact that they were on home confinement, they received a commutation here.
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:03:02):
No, no, there was-
Speaker 24 (01:03:04):
Did you factor any… In the process, do you also factor in the individual cases and the individual times-
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:03:10):
Well, I think what's important is that they were successfully able to reintegrate into their communities and back into their families. They show that having a second chance is something that they should be given, right? And so that is what's important, let's not forget that the successfully reintegrating. And I think that's a huge factor that matters as well.
(01:03:32)
The home confinement, obviously, that's the category that they were in during that Care Act of 2020. As you know, there was a decision because of COVID-19 pandemic to move forward back in 2020 before the President was obviously in office. And these folks, this 1,500 that we're talking about, the nearly 1,500 were able to successfully reintegrate. I think that's a criteria that we can't forget. And that's a criteria that's incredibly important here as the President made his decision.
Speaker 24 (01:04:02):
And to follow up on, I think, Kelly's question, I know you don't want to go step by step in the process, but can we say accurately that the President reviewed, looked at any of these applications?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:04:12):
What I can say is this President made this decision, this is the President that made the decision to move forward on this.
Speaker 24 (01:04:18):
What was his involvement though? Did they present him the applications and he said yes?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:04:21):
I mean, obviously the President was presented from his team, the granting the clemency of these approximately 1,500 Americans and also the 39 that he pardoned. He was presented that by his team and he made the decision. This would not have happened, we cannot forget, this would not have happened if the President didn't sign off on it, if the President didn't decide to move forward. And we can't forget what the President has done. We're talking about… Let's not forget the past. Yes, we're talking about today, but we can't forget, the President has also done 122 commutations, 21 pardons before this. We can't forget that the President issued categorical pardons for LGBT plus service members convicted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and individuals charged with simply possession of marijuana. And he just did that back in April. So the President has certainly taken action to show the importance of giving Americans second chances.
(01:05:23)
And this is a continuation. This is not just a one-day thing. This is a continuation of the President taking clemency and giving people second chances very, very seriously, and understanding how much that means to families and certainly communities.
(01:05:40)
Okay.
Speaker 25 (01:05:40):
Has the President called any of the people he granted pardons to? Do you have anything to read out on the front?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:05:45):
No, it's a good question. I don't have anything to read out on the President calling any of the nearly 1,500 people or 39 folks that he was able to pardon today. I just don't have anything to share.
Speaker 25 (01:05:58):
And is he planning a farewell address at some point? Is there something in the works? Do you know where it might be, when it might be?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:06:06):
So we'll certainly have more to share what the last couple of weeks, last couple of days of the President's administration would look like if he's going to be giving any big speeches or giving any important remarks as he ends his presidency. I don't have anything right now in this moment, but I would say stay tuned. We'll have a lot more to share as to what January post-holiday will look like.
(01:06:35)
Go ahead. No, go ahead. I know I was supposed to call on you.
Speaker 26 (01:06:38):
Thank you. That's Austin Tice, apologies.
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:06:42):
No, no apologies. That's an important… No, no, it's important. No apologies.
Speaker 26 (01:06:46):
So I believe it was last Friday when the family of Austin Tice said that they had spoken to officials here at the White House.
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:06:54):
They met with National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, at the end of last week, yes.
Speaker 26 (01:06:59):
And then they had a statement at the National Press Club where they said that they had been told from a reliable source, we assume so, that Austin was alive and that he was being treated well. So now we don't know any of that. So where do they get that information?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:07:20):
So look, I'm going to let the family speak for themselves. I can't even imagine what they're going through. I don't want to imagine what they're going through. I know this has been a difficult time for them, but what I can say is when it comes to Austin Tice, this is a top priority for this President. He said that himself, and there is no indication that he is not alive, but there's also no indication about his location or condition.
(01:07:49)
And so what our goal is, is to bring him home. And so we hope certainly that he is alive and as we have stated many times before, we are talking through this with the Turks and we want to do everything that we can to bring him home. It is a top priority for this President and this administration, and that's how we're going to continue to move forward on this. All right, everybody-
Speaker 26 (01:08:17):
Will there be further meetings between now and the end of this administration?
Karine Jean-Pierre (01:08:19):
Well, as you know, this administration, including the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, has met with many family members of Americans who are wrongfully detained, held hostage. That is something. And also the President has done this as well. National Security Advisor, as I just mentioned, just met with Austin Tice's family just this past week. And so we're going to continue to certainly stay engaged and in touch.
(01:08:45)
I don't have any meetings to preview for you at this time, but we've been pretty consistent in staying in touch with these families. Again, our hearts go out to them. Our hearts go out to them as they are dealing with an incredibly, incredibly difficult time.
(01:09:01)
All right, thanks, everybody.
Group (01:09:02):
Thank you.