Former White House Press Secretary and Fox News host Dana Perino discussed the challenges of being an effective press secretary during an appearance on “Fox Across America” with Jimmy Failla on Friday.
Perino served as the 26th White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009. She was the second female to hold that position behind Dee Dee Myers, who served during the Clinton administration.
Current White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre had endured lots of criticism for handling the press corps during the Biden classified documents scandal.
Perino has said in the past that White House officials are putting Jean Pierre in a difficult position and that she should demand answers from her bosses so that she doesn’t look so uninformed in front of reporters.
“Obviously, Ron Klain, the Chief of Staff, knew what was happening,” said Perino. “He (Klain) knew that they were documents. He made the decision, as I understand it, to not tell her (Jean Pierre). So now she’s caught unaware, and not only that, but they are making her go out and defend it.”
According to the Washington Post, Klain plans to step down in the coming weeks. Klain became the chief of staff when the President took office two years ago.
Perino said if she was in Jean Pierre’s position, she would hold a news conference and tell reporters that she was learning about the information as they were.
“She (Jean Pierre) is not great at defending herself; when you’re the press secretary, you always like to think three days ahead,” said Perino. “When you find out, there are documents like this, you must protect yourself. You must ask questions like you are a reporter. Because she hasn’t done anything to defend herself, she’s just hanging out there and it’s tough.”
