‘Where’s Jackie?’ Joe Biden calls out to dead lawmaker at event
- The president addressed late congresswoman Jackie Walorski as if she were still alive, despite her being killed in a recent car crash
- Pressed on the remarks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the lawmaker was at ‘top of mind’ for Biden
US President Joe Biden called out a recently deceased congresswoman in remarks at a hunger conference she helped organise, addressing the lawmaker as if she were still alive.
In remarks Wednesday at a conference on hunger, Biden thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers who pushed the White House to organise the event, including Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Democratic Massachusetts congressman Jim McGovern, Republican Indiana Senator Mike Braun and the late Republican Indiana congresswoman Jackie Walorski.
“Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? I think she was going to be here,” Biden said.
Walorski died in an August 3 car crash. Two of her staff were also killed in the collision, which occurred in her Indiana district. The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office found that the Toyota RAV4 driven by staff member Zachery Potts was at fault in the crash.
Asked repeatedly during a press briefing about Biden’s comments, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to say the president misspoke when addressing Walorski.