White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday refused to ensure that the Biden administration would step up security at the US-Mexico border, as she was grilled about disturbing video of smugglers dropping kids over a 14-foot wall in New Mexico.
The clip, tweeted Wednesday by a border patrol agent, shows two little girls, aged 5 and 3, being dropped over the barrier by smugglers in the dead of night, before the kids were rescued by authorities.
“I’ve seen the video, and I think any of us who saw the video were incredibly alarmed by the steps of smugglers, ones that we have been quite familiar with,” said Psaki during her daily press briefing.
But pressed on what steps the Biden administration is taking to prevent a repeat of the potentially deadly tactic, Psaki questioned the motives of the reporter who posed the question, Fox News’ Peter Doocy.
“Are you concerned more about the kids’ safety, or are you concerned about kids getting in?” she asked. “Tell me more about your concern.”
Informed by Doocy that he was asking about the children’s safety, and that Psaki had indicated that is the White House’s main concern, Psaki said, “Of course it is. Which is why I’m often surprised by some of the line of questioning here.
Psaki was pressed by Fox’s Peter Doocy over the terrifying video of smugglers dropping toddlers over the border wall.
Her response was less-than-stellar, as instead of directly responding, she instead took to questioning Doocy’s motives behind the inquiry.
Ultimately, she declined to comment on whether or not Biden would commit to more border security.