The White House on Wednesday refused to be sucked into the all-encompassing news about former President Donald Trump’s historic criminal court appearance, saying President Biden is focused on implementing infrastructure projects and other agenda items.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr. Biden was briefed by senior members of his staff about Mr. Trump’s arraignment in a New York courtroom, though the information the White House received was based on media reports that everyone else saw.
That was about as far as she would go, as Mr. Biden and the White House refuse to offer comments that Mr. Trump could use as fodder for his claim the case against him is a political witch hunt.
Asked if Mr. Biden is annoyed by Mr. Trump taking up so much oxygen in the news cycle, Ms. Jean-Pierre refused to take the bait and pointed to economic plans or efforts to preserve health programs.
“What’s important to the president is to continue to focus on the American people. That is what’s important to the president,” she said.
The New York indictment accuses Mr. Trump of 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels amid the 2016 campaign.
White House reporters pressed Ms. Jean-Pierre on Mr. Trump’s attacks against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said she could only comment on the general subject.
“I’m not going to speak to an ongoing case, we’ve been very consistent and very prudent about that,” she said. “We condemn any type of attacks on any judge or our judicial system.”
Some conservatives were unhappy with the White House last year for not being more forceful in condemning protests near the homes of Supreme Court justices after a draft opinion overturning federal Roe v. Wade was leaked to the media.
Also Wednesday, Ms. Jean-Pierre declined to criticize TV networks that aired Mr. Trump’s post-arraignment speech in Florida live on Tuesday, after deciding not to air Mr. Biden’s past speeches about attacks on democracy, deeming them political.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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