President Joe Biden has no comment on the indictment of Donald Trump. No, really, he has no comment. Guys, I’ll say it again, he has no comment.
The reporters who questioned Biden briefly before he boarded Marine One on Friday morning didn’t seem to believe Biden when he told them no comment. Aside from a couple of questions about Russia detaining a Wall Street Journal reporter, every question Biden got was about Trump. Which he would not comment on.
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Q Mr. President, any reaction to the Trump indictment?
Q Your reaction to the -- President Trump’s indictment?
THE PRESIDENT: No.
Q Are you worried this will further divide our country -- the indictment?
THE PRESIDENT: I have no comment on that.
Q Are you at all concerned about possible protests in the wake of the indictment?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I -- I’m not going to talk about Trump’s indictment.
After a brief break on the detained reporter:
Q Sir, what does this mean for the rule of law that former President Trump has been indicted? What do you think it means for the rule of law in our country?
THE PRESIDENT: I have no comment at all on Trump.
Another question on Russia, then:
Q Mr. President, do you think that the charges against Trump are politically motivated?
THE PRESIDENT: I have no comment on Trump.
No.
I have no comment on that.
No, I—I’m not going to talk about Trump’s indictment.
I have no comment at all on Trump.
I have no comment on Trump.
You know they’re going to keep asking, too. It’s one of the broken things about U.S. media that every reporter thinks it’s important to get the same refusal to comment as every other reporter, rather than asking something else of importance.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre should have an easy time preparing for the next couple of press briefings: All she’s going to have to say is variations on “no comment.” Maybe something generic about due process and the rule of law, if the White House wants to get really wild.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is in Zambia, also refused to comment, saying, “I am not going to comment on an ongoing criminal case as it relates to the former president.”
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